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Tintype Portrait of a Gentleman of African Descent Circa 1860 - $125 (Upper West Side)
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Portrait of a Gentleman of African Descent, ca. 1860
Tintype
Dimensions: 3.25 x 2.75 inches.
Description: He is wearing a three-piece suit with a bow tie and a pocket watch. Seated on a chair with an armrest and a floral textile at the proper upper left, his hands rest on his legs and his left elbow is on the armrest. There is a a reflection on both eyes. The reflection of the proper right eye is bright and creates an unusual effect to the overall facial expression. The appearance of this eye could potentially be due to its physical state.
Condition: Good. It presents common features of tintypes: irregularly cut edges, an uneven surface, irregular light and chemical production, and losses to the surface. There are distinctive scratches on the gentleman’s facial likeness that cut into the surface of the tintype to form a multiline x. The back of the tintype has an irregular light area of matter on it. This is likely residual material from a previous mounting on board.
Observation: Together with the reflection on the eyes and the scratched multi-line x on the gentleman's face, which appear to be an intentional and literal defacing, the object could be viewed as communicating incongruous tension between attraction and repulsion.
Note: The photographs of the tintype are taken in natural light, a combination of residential and natural light, and from unusual angles intended to show the surface plane. The color is particular difficult to capture accurately. It is not as less yellow and illumination than in many of the photographs.While the scale of the image on eBay’s platform allows for the visibility of detail, it can also distort one’s perception of scale and contrast. In person the tintype is large enough to have a significant presence. One image shows the tintype photographed with an AirPod as a point of scale relationship.
Keywords: Ferrotype, Masculine Beauty, Black, African American, Culture, History, Slavery, Emancipation, Acculturation, Agency, Prosperity, Memory, Document, Photograph, Photography, Portrait Studio, Defacement.