Dearest May and Lily, Ilfracombe
- Culture
- English
- Date
- 1857
- Material
- Hand-colored ambrotype
- made in
- Ilfracombe, Devon county, England, Europe
- Classification
- Photographs
- Collection
- Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- quarter plate: 4 x 3 1/4 in. (10.2 x 8.3 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Alexander Novak and Family
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 458:2002
NOTES
Soon after the invention of photography in 1839, inexpensive forms of portraiture were developed and popularized. This small, cased portrait of two young sisters is known as an ambrotype. It was made by coating the back of a glass negative with black lacquer, thus making it appear as a positive that is pearly in tone. For this portrait, highlights of rouge in the cheeks and blue in the fabric were added by hand to make it appear more realistic.
Provenance
1998 - 2002
Alexander Novak, Chalfont, PA, purchased from a dealer [1]
2002 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Alexander Novak and Family [2]
Notes:
[1] In a conversation with Saint Louis Art Museum curator Phillip Prodger, Alexander Novak provided the date and method of how he acquired the photograph, but chose not to reveal the source [cataloging worksheet, 2/20/03, SLAM document files].
[2] Deed of gift, December 26, 2002 [SLAM document files] and Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, March 4, 2003.
Alexander Novak, Chalfont, PA, purchased from a dealer [1]
2002 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Alexander Novak and Family [2]
Notes:
[1] In a conversation with Saint Louis Art Museum curator Phillip Prodger, Alexander Novak provided the date and method of how he acquired the photograph, but chose not to reveal the source [cataloging worksheet, 2/20/03, SLAM document files].
[2] Deed of gift, December 26, 2002 [SLAM document files] and Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, March 4, 2003.
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