Ball thomas alexander (2 Ergebnisse)

Approx. 4x2-1/2 inches. Zustand: Upper corners clipped. Approx. 4x2-1/2 inches. African American photographers Ball and Thomas operated from 30 West Fourth Street between 1869 and 1874. Coar, Century of Black Photographers, p. 43.

Unbound. Zustand: Near Fine. Original carte-de-visite photographic portrait. Albumen print by Thomas C. Ball and Alexander S. Thomas, African-American photographers (brother and brother-in-law, respectively, of the photographer James P. Ball). The image measures 3½" x 2", on cardstock mount, with double gilt rule that measures 4" x 2½". A professional studio portrait of a very young, unidentified Caucasian girl, seated, nicely dressed, wearing a hat, with long tie under her chin, black dress shoes and white socks, and a striking plaid calico dress, and holding a bouquet of flowers. Partially visible at the child's side, in the lower right foreground, is the hand of an adult, holding the child steady (a practice known in early photography circles as "the hidden mother"). Photographer's imprint on verso of the mount. Slight blur in the image at the child's left foot caused by some movement of the sitter, else the image is clear, with sharp focus and excellent contrast. Very light wear at extremities of the mount, else fine. The Ball & Thomas Photographic Art Gallery was established by African-American photographer James P. Ball, who was born in Virginia in 1825. He learned the art of photography from John B. Bailey, an African-American daguerreotypist from Boston. Ball opened his second Cincinnati studio in 1849 (after an unsuccessful start in 1845), which became a successful business. In 1852, his brother-in-law, Alexander Thomas, became his business partner, and in 1860 Ball dissolved his partnership with Alexander Thomas, and Ball's younger brother, Thomas C. Ball, took over the partnership with Alexander Thomas (until Thomas's death in 1875). (See Cincinnati Museum site devoted to Ball's photography; c.f. Coar. "A Century of Black Photographers," p.43; c.f. Sullivan. *Black Artists in Photography, 1840-1940,* p.38-57).…