Imagine.ink Help with African American Photos 1800-1900
Looking for the correct language to describe these photos as well as an idea of value and how to best represent them.
Thanks for the years of knowledge you have provided me over the years.
Phil
6 comments
nyr134
·1 year ago@phils*books*collectibles
Maybe you already were prepared to do this but include the location of the photo studio (Danville, Pa., for example) in your title. Many folks search for items from locations where their family roots were, hoping to find ancestors.
imagine.ink
·1 year agoI think auction is always the safer bet because you never know what might pique someone's interest. I just sold this photo for a price I did not expect. Unlike books, photos are more "one of a kind" in nature, so while there are similar comparables, there will often not be an exact duplicate to assess against past sales.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/296951288756
After a couple of relists, you can comfortably use a Buy It Now, since you're better able to gauge the level of interest.
phils*books*collectibles
OP1 year agoNice sale! thanks again, always found this board to be so helpful. I will start with auction and see where it goes.
Phil
imagine.ink
·1 year agoThanks for the nice compliment, Phil! I'm happy to help you with your photos, which, by the way, are great 19th century African American images.
The two on the far left are cabinet photos. Cabinet card photography began in 1863, although the peak years for cabinet photography were 1870-1900. According to Collector's Guide to Early Photographs by O. Henry Mace, "Prior to the production of albums for the new format, the large cards were prominently displayed in the drawing room cabinet, thus inspiring the name cabinet card."
Due to the "leg of mutton" sleeves on the women's dresses, I would date your two cabinet photos to the 1890s, when that fashion was popular.
The two photos you show on the top look almost the same size as your ones on far left. If so, they are also cabinet photos, although they look to be a bit earlier due to the plain colored mount. I would tentatively date those to the 1880s.
The two on the bottom look to be the oldest. They are tintypes and are the most interesting because they're older. Tintype photography was introduced in 1856, although the peak years were 1860-1863, finally waning between 1865-1867 with the advent of carte-de-visites. (CDVs were albumen photos on paper mounts, about the same size as your tintypes, or the equivalent of modern day business cards.)
It's hard to gauge size from your photo, but I'm assuming that's the size of your tintypes. They were also occasionally produced in larger sizes, but most commonly the business card size.
Based on the women's fashions, I would tentatively date your tintypes to the 1870s. Your tintypes also have interesting backdrops, which gives them more appeal. Sometimes people try to identify the photographer by what kind of backdrop he/she used.
Hope this info helps with your photos, Phil!
imagine.ink
·1 year agoBe sure to list them with the description of African American ... (whatever kind of photo it is). There is always a good market for early African American photos, because ethnic photos produced in the 19th century are much less common than run of the mill photos.
phils*books*collectibles
OP1 year agoThank you, any idea on selling, auction or buy it now? Thank you again for being a great reference to the board these many years.
I thank the numerous others on the board who have helped educate me for the last for 25 years here.
Phil