Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

June 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Wed, Jun 24, 2026 11:00AM EDT
Lot 354

Tintype, Post-Mortem Infant with Doll, Unidentified

Estimate: $50 - $100

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$100 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
An unidentified infant is depicted in a post-mortem tintype, reclined on a studio settee which fills the lower right portion of the composition. The photographer is unidentified and no imprint is visible. The informal domestic setting, visible door frame, and style of dress suggest a date in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

The infant is dressed in a white gown with lace trim at the sleeves and wears small dark shoes. A textile doll with a striped or knitted body is positioned in the child's hands or alongside the figure, a common practice in post-mortem photography of the period to convey a sense of peaceful repose.

Post-mortem photography served as a primary means of memorialization for families who lost young children during the nineteenth century, and the inclusion of a favored toy or doll was a deliberate and tender compositional choice. The leather or upholstered armchair and the relaxed framing suggest the image was made in the family home rather than a studio.

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