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Untitled

A work made of tintype.

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  • A work made of tintype.

Date:

1870/1910

Artist:

Artist unknown
American, 19th century

About this artwork

In the years following its invention, photography was welcomed as a democratic art. Now members of nearly all classes could possess pictures of loved ones, a visual genealogy previously limited to ancestral oil portraits or painted miniatures. The tintype—a relatively quick process patented in 1856, but especially widespread from the Civil War through the 1930s—was one of the most inexpensive and popular forms of photography. Elaborately painted and framed, large tintypes such as this one might have pride of place on a parlor wall, filling many of the same functions as American folk portraits of earlier centuries. This frame bears the label “Electrograph” on the back, an establishment based in New England, but the identity of the girl and her pet remain unknown.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Unknown

Title

Untitled

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1870–1910

Medium

Tintype

Dimensions

Plate, sight: 20 × 15 cm (7 7/8 × 5 15/16 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Anstiss Hammond Krueck in honor of her three daughters, Victoria, Valentine, and Ascha

Reference Number

1994.41

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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