[Nine Portraits in Original Passe-Partout]
![[Nine Portraits in Original Passe-Partout] by James William Bailey|Charles-Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte|William Ewart Gladstone|Albert Edward Prince of Wales](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/met/ph/thumb/nine-portraits-in-original-passe-partout-294320.webp)
Medium
Albumen silver prints from glass negatives with applied color
Dimensions
Frame: 34.9 x 34.9 cm (13 3/4 x 13 3/4 in.) Image: 4 x 3.5 cm (1 9/16 x 1 3/8 in.) Image: 7.7 x 6 cm (3 1/16 x 2 3/8 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Funds from various donors, 2010
Accession Number
2010.443
Tags
About this artwork
This assemblage of nine portrait photographs in their original passe-partout (decorative mat) represents late Victorian popular photographic culture and the period's fascination with celebrity and political figures. Created by James William Bailey in the 1880s, these albumen silver prints with applied color capture notable figures including Charles-Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, William Ewart Gladstone, and Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. The applied color, added by hand to black-and-white photograph...
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of late Victorian celebrity culture with *Nine Portraits in Original Passeout*, a charming 1880s assemblage crafted by British photographer James William. This intimate collection features albumen silver prints from glass, hand-tinted with applied color to bring nine notable figures to life—including political heavyweight William Ewart Gladstone, French leader Charles-Louis-Napole Bonaparte, and the stylish Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. Housed in their original decorative passe-partout mat within a neat 34.9 x 34.9 cm frame, the tiny portraits (as small as 4 x 3.5 cm) evo...
About the Artist
James William Bailey|Charles-Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte|William Ewart Gladstone|Albert Edward Prince of Wales (British|French|British|British) · |1808 |1809 |1841 – |1873 |1898 |1910
British|French, Paris 1808–1873 Chislehurst, Kent| |British, 1841–1910