Portrait of a Shoe Salesman
c. 1870s
Medium
tintype
Dimensions
image (visible): 8.3 × 5.1 cm (3 1/4 × 2 in.) mat: 11.7 × 8 cm (4 5/8 × 3 1/8 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
The Ross J. Kelbaugh Collection
Accession Number
2023.146.118
Art Historical Context
This charming tintype portrait captures a shoe salesman from 1870s America, a glimpse into the everyday lives of working-class individuals during the post-Civil War era. by an anonymous American photographer, small image—measuring just 8.3 × 5.1 cm—likely served as a personal memento, into a wallet or locket. Tintypes, invented in the 1850s, were a revolutionary and affordable photographic medium: a unique positive image created directly on a thin sheet of iron coated with collodion emulsion. Unlike glass plates or paper prints, each tintype was one-of-a-kind, making this portrait irreplaceabl...
About the Artist
American 19th Century
The artist cataloged as "American, 19th Century" represents a collective of unidentified painters active in the United States during the nineteenth century, with 380 known artworks preserved in this virtual museum's collection. These works span a diverse array of genres typical of the era, including portraits, landscapes, still lifes, and genre scenes, reflecting the burgeoning artistic output of ...