Fridays at Auction Finds is readers’ questions day. I try to guide readers to resources to help them determine the value of their items. I’m not able to appraise their treasures, but I can do some preliminary research to get them started. So, these are market values based on prices I find on the web, not appraisal for insurance purposes that I suggest for items that have been determined to be of great value.
Today’s question is about an early black and white photo of an African American woman.
Question:
About 18 years ago I purchased this item for $10 at a Bloomington, IN, yard sale during a road trip. Aside from the lady’s dignified manner, I admired the unusual (to me) glass mounting, color and heaviness (2+ lbs). Since subscribing to your site, I became curious about its origin. I’ve learned that it might be a cabinet card, popular in the 1800s. (The 4×6 size was typical during the era.)
Physical description:
4×6-in. B/W photo mounted on red-tinted glass plate.
Overall size: 8 x 10 in. It’s 1/4-in. thick, weighs 2.11 lbs. No visible imprint (unless there’s one on back of photo). The backing is heavy layered cardboard and has 2 embedded metal clips. The board is chipped and discolored.
Subject is a mature, well-coiffed African American woman, possibly a freed slave or house servant, with a calm, dignified demeanor. Her collar is an intricate Victorian-type lace. I cannot tell whether the buttons are drawn through holes or loops.
Thanks in advance if you can shed more light on origin, value, etc.
Answer:
What a wonderful photograph! On first glance, though, it does not look like a cabinet card, which usually bears the name and address of the photographer on the front of the card (and sometimes on the back). It was one way of advertising their business. I’m no expert on old photos, but I’ve seen a number of cabinet cards at auction and have been outbid on a few.
Cabinet cards were portrait photographs attached to card stock, and they measured 4 ¼” x 6 ½”. They were prevalent during the latter part of the 19th century. Some can be dated based on the type of paper used. They were larger than carte de visites, which originated in France in the 1860s and also were mounted on card stock.
The woman’s clothing fits into the Victorian period, which stretched from around 1840 to 1900. Her dress doesn’t seem to reference slavery, when clothing worn by enslaved Africans was simpler and coarser. People used as house servants sometimes wore the family’s hand-me-downs.
Tight waists were indicative of Victorian clothing during the 1860s and the 1890s, and I suspect that her dress – since it appears to be in fairly good condition – may be from the latter period (although I’m no expert on vintage clothing). I’m sure she could have easily worn the same type of dress into the early 20th century. The Victorian clothes I found via Google were on the bodies of fashionistas of the day, not women who toiled for a living. By the way, the front of her dress is secured with buttonholes.
Here are some photos of fashionable African American women of the era whose photos were displayed at the Paris exposition in 1900.
Unfortunately, you can’t remove the woman’s photo from the glass plate without destroying it, so you can’t see the back of the card to determine if she is identified (which she probably isn’t).
I’d suggest that you try searching for photos similar to hers via Google’s images. There are likely others that resemble her style and demeanor that might help attach a date to the photo.
Reader’s reply:
I never thought of Google (duh)! Here’s a link to why I thought it might be a cab card. This source (scroll down to cabinet cards) says subject is not usually identified, and typical size is 4×6. Unlike mine, the sample shown does bear the photographer’s name, just as you said.
You’re right, no way to see the back without damaging it – photo is sealed inside the glass. When I hold an edge up to the light, the glass shows a greenish tint, but you can’t see that in the photo.
There are spots on the front that reveal silver underneath the red tint, so I thought it might be some kind of early silver-plate process that makes mine unique.
Meanwhile, I’ll see if a local antique mart, auction house, or photographer will “donate” an opinion.
So far it looks like such photos are not rare in and of themselves, but I’m wondering if the mounting style/process might be. Again, thanks for the pointers.
My reply:
The photo may have been printed using the silver gelatin dry plate process and the image attached to a colored glass plate. The silver gelatin process (and its time-consuming earlier cousin, the collodion wet plate process) captured images on glass that were printed on paper.
Or it could be a studio photo glued to a glass plate that was colored, discarded, donated or sold by the photographer. During this period, glass plates were used to produce negatives for photos. I have an early hand-tinted photo of an African American woman mounted on a gold-leaf background under plastic. Mine also has hooks on the back, which may have been used for hanging or with a stand for placing on a table. Maybe at some point, that was a popular way to display photos.
It’s a good idea to locate an auction house or antiques shop or mart near you, and find someone who is an expert in vintage photographs. Don’t forget to also search Google for online auction houses that specialize in such photos. You can find local auction houses via auctionzip.com. Check to see if the auction houses will eyeball a copy of the photo for free and offer advice.
If a reader can help identify the time period of this photo, please leave a message in the Comments box below.
