Unknown American
[Three Children]

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Images(2)

Artist Unknown American

CultureAmerican

Titles

[Three Children]

Date1870s

MediumTintype

DimensionsImage: 8 3/8 × 6 in. (21.3 × 15.2 cm)
Sheet: 8 3/8 × 6 in. (21.3 × 15.2 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mike and Mickey Marvins

Object number2015.599

Not on view

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Department

Photography

Special Collections

Marvins Family Collections

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

DescriptionEven as the daguerreotype process died out in the 1850s, its cheaper and more durable cousin, the tintype, continued to be popular for decades. At the low end, the products of itinerant artisans or run-of-the-mill studios exhibited little artistry but still provided people with a treasured record of their own faces or those of loved ones. At the high end, great care was given to the studio setup, the posing, and the preparation of the finished product, as in this beautiful tintype of three children dressed in their Sunday finest and bound together as a family unit through their poses. The photographer or his assistant has given a touch of extra life and richness with a hint of rouge retouching on the cheeks and a sparkle of gold on the pendant, ring, and watch fob.
Provenance Research Ongoing Exhibition History“A Photographer’s Collection: Gifts from Michael and Michele Marvins,” The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, April 4–July 5, 2015.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

verso upper right on torn sheet of lined paper adhering to tintype in ink: $17.00 [written over $1.00 in red ink]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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