Item #17943 J. Fenton Tintype Photo of African American Baby Girl, C. 1870. J. Fenton African American.

J. Fenton Tintype Photo of African American Baby Girl, C. 1870

African American, J. Fenton

Original Photo

Tintype photograph of African American baby girl. C. 1870. Measuring approximately 2 x 3.5 inches. Portrait with studio credit on verso: "J. Fenton. Photographer - South street- Philadelphia" The African American baby wears a white dress wiht lacy collar and little leather boots, her expression suspicious as she looks directly into the camera. J. Fenton's photography studio is notable for its many portraits of African-Americans subjects, and their tintypes are held by Yale's Beinecke Library as historically significant. Philadelphia, where J. Fenton's studio was located, was a center for abolitionist activity in the 19th century. African-Americans were teachers, doctors, ministers, barbers, caterers and entrepreneurs catering to the black community. The city was also a major stop along the Underground Railroad. Though these photos are undated, Fenton's portraits of black Americans are generally dated to the 1870s, the decade following the civil war as well as the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment giving African Americans the right to vote in 1870. They show an emerging community of African American professionals at the beginning of black life in Northern cities following emancipation. Corners clipped, some minor scratches. A clear and focused image, still in good very condition overall.

Item #17943

Price: $320.00