18.00USD
Remarkable image, remarkable in particular for the quality of coloration. This card illustrates very well the quality possible with the Steglitz oranotype. The sweet little girl is wearing Mama's silk brocade gown, but just marvel at the tinting. This is hand coloration mimicking the kind of color blending we find today in lovely dupioni silks. We believe the classic term for this is "shot" silk, a process in which the warp and weft of the fabric are of two different complimentary colors which, when woven together produce an iridescent effect. That a hand colorist can "imply" this silk weaving technique is really amazing!
This card was posted in 1905, and the photograph was by one Skowranek, possibly Otto Skowranek who, if this is the same man, which seems likely, is well known today primarily for his nude photographs, one in particular, of the famous dancer Olga Desmond posing semi-nude amidst upended swords. Some of his work was featured recently in a Berlin exhibition of early nude photography.
We have only seen any of this Skowranek's images from within this particular series, in which the child is depicted dressing up, prancing about, drinking tea, etc., with a number of different color variations, this one always having been our favorite. We're very pleased to have found one of these in such nice condition to share with you.
Please examine our high res scans for detail.
Postage is for first class shipping in a secure photo mailer, and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will refund the postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of sudden increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more.
And please come visit our blog at:
redpoulaine.blogspot.com
where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!