[Clown]
Fredricks operated one of the most successful photographic studios in New York City, at 585 and 587 Broadway. Beginning in 1854 and for more than thirty years, its painted sign hailed it as a “Photographic Temple of Art.” Fredricks specialized in portraiture, producing large-format and cartes-de-visite likenesses of politicians, Civil War generals, celebrities, and actors, including Lincoln’s assassin,
John Wilkes Booth. This light-hearted photograph depicts a costumed figure—possibly a character from the commedia dell’arte—striking a gallant pose in a dramatic composition that emphasizes the theatrical nature of studio portraiture.
John Wilkes Booth. This light-hearted photograph depicts a costumed figure—possibly a character from the commedia dell’arte—striking a gallant pose in a dramatic composition that emphasizes the theatrical nature of studio portraiture.
Artwork Details
- Title: [Clown]
- Artist: Charles DeForest Fredricks (American, 1823–1894)
- Date: ca. 1860
- Medium: Albumen silver print
- Dimensions: Image: 8 1/16 × 6 13/16 in. (20.5 × 17.3 cm)
Mount: 13 5/16 × 10 1/2 in. (33.8 × 26.7 cm) - Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Gift of Howard Greenberg, 2014
- Object Number: 2014.210
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
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Charles DeForest Fredricks
1862 (?)
Charles DeForest Fredricks
1860s
Charles DeForest Fredricks
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Charles DeForest Fredricks
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