Calling Card (Jas. W. Williams) 204 Chestnut Street.
[?Philadelphia, Pa.]: ca. 1840. Item #673 Calling Card printed one side only. 40 x 75 mm., [1 ½ x 3 inches]. Painter’s name scratched out and "Miss Louise Bradley, West Springfield," is penciled in Engraved border, pinholes. James W. Williams was a miniature portrait painter. He also experimented with early photographic processes to produce his portraits. He was born in England about 1787 and set up shop in Philadelphia. The Smithsonian holds two of his works; a Talbotype paper print with applied color of Edward Robinson Squibb, and an ivory type of two girls (untitled). Ivory types were positive photographic prints resembling a hand-painted ivory miniature and were first produced in the mid-1850s. As the term suggests, some of these images were made on thin sheets of actual ivory or artificial ivory made of pigmented and hardened gelatin. Louise Bradley (1818-aft 1880) of West Springfield, Massachusetts, acquired Williams's calling card and used it as her own, in this instance, since she crossed out his name and penciled in her own. She married a farmer, Charles White, and lived and died in West Springfield.
Portrait miniatures began to flourish in 16th century Europe and the art was practiced during the 17th century and 18th century, but the development of photography contributed to the decline in the popularity of miniatures. .
Price: $100.00