African American Photographer J. P. Ball CDV Portraits Cincinnati 1850s to 1870s Studio Practice and Abolitionist Context

J. P. Ball African American Photographer

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Ball, James Presley. Carte de visite portraits, circa 1854–1870, document the studio practice of one of the most prominent African American photographers of the nineteenth century and situate portrait photography within both commercial and abolitionist contexts in mid-century Cincinnati. Ball, an established daguerreotypist and later photographic entrepreneur, operated multiple studios and collaborated with family members in a network that included Ball & Thomas. His work formed part of a broader Black visual culture that intersected with antislavery advocacy, including his production of the illustrated panorama Mammoth Pictorial Tour of the United States Comprising Views of the African Slave Trade. The survival of CDV portraits bearing his studio imprints provides direct evidence of African American participation in early photographic industries and the circulation of portrait imagery during the Civil War era and Reconstruction.

Cincinnati, Ohio, circa 1854–1870. Two albumen carte de visite photographs on cardstock mounts, each approximately 2 1/8 x 3 1/2 inches, with studio imprints and revenue stamps on the versos: [1] Ball, James Presley. Albumen CDV portrait of a woman in vignette format, with a partially cropped second figure at left. Verso with imprint of J.P. Ball’s Photographic Gallery, 30 West 4th Street, Cincinnati, and a 3-cent Internal Revenue Proprietary stamp initialed “J.P.B.”
[2] Ball & Thomas. Albumen CDV portrait of a young man standing in studio setting, holding a hat, dressed in loose-fitting coat and trousers. Verso with imprint of Ball & Thomas Photographic Art Gallery, 120 West 4th Street, Cincinnati, and a 2-cent Internal Revenue Proprietary stamp initialed “B & T.”

Produced during the expansion of carte de visite photography in the United States, these images align with a period in which photographic portraiture became widely accessible and circulated across social and geographic boundaries. Ball’s career connects commercial studio practice with broader cultural and political currents, including abolitionist activism and the representation of Black subjects in visual media. His photographic output, along with that of associated studios, contributes to the documentation of nineteenth-century identity, dress, and presentation within both African American and broader American contexts. Light surface wear and minor spotting to one mount, with some soiling to the other; images remain clear; overall very good condition.

Item #20168

Price: $880.00