Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

Spring Photographic History Auction

Sat, May 3, 2025 01:00PM EDT
Lot 194

Tintype Album of Six Theatrical Performers in Costume

Estimate: $300 - $500

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Outstanding 19th-century tintype album featuring six full-length studio portraits of theatrical performers in elaborate stage costumes. Each image captures a different individual in a distinct dramatic pose, emphasizing the theatrical flair and costuming popular in mid- to late-19th-century American amateur and professional stage productions.

Included are both male and female subjects dressed in ornate, period-style theatrical garb—some in aristocratic or military-style regalia, others in romantic or exotic costumes. One of the portraits is identified as "Sarah Almira Wheeler Bosworth," lending a layer of personal provenance and potential for further research. The subjects display confident, almost exaggerated body language, suggesting their familiarity with performance and stage presence. Their outfits include velvet coats, feathered hats, capes, sashes, boots, and detailed fringe—elements that collectively hint at comic opera, Shakespearean drama, or minstrel performance.

The album itself is housed in a deeply embossed leatherette case with a working clasp. The interior mounts are in excellent condition and present the photographs attractively. Collectors of theatrical history, 19th-century photography, or identified performer material will find this a rare and visually compelling example of mid-Victorian portraiture at the intersection of photography and performance.

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