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| Vol. 18, No. 2 | Sept. 10, 1998 |
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| Vol. 18, No. 2 | Sept. 10, 1998 |
Helping to mark the 20th anniversary of the gallery, the exhibition showcases a largely overlooked form of early American photography and the patterned frames created expressly for it.
A free, public reception is scheduled from 4:30-7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, with a walking tour of the exhibition presented by collector and curator, physician Dr. Stanley B. Burns, at 5:30 p.m.
Additional educational programming related to the exhibition will be held in October. On two Saturdays, Oct. 3 and 24, workshops for children, entitled "Family Pictures," will be held from 2-3 p.m. in the gallery. Each will feature stories and art projects for children ages 6 to 10. Seating is limited for these free programs, and pre-registration is required by calling 831-8284.
At noon on Tuesday, Oct. 6, Debra Hess Norris, art conservation, will present the program, "Don't Leave Grandma in the Attic: The Preservation of Your Family Photographs." Hess has lectured, instructed and consulted throughout the world on issues pertaining to photographic preservation and conservation treatment.
She will discuss recommendations for the proper environmental controls, handing, storage and display of family photographic collections.
The photographs in "Forgotten Marriage: The Painted Tintype and the Decorative Frame, 1860-1910," highlight the importance of the tintype in the context of American society at the turn of the century. Since the tintype was an inexpensive, easily produced and durable form of photography, it allowed everyone, regardless of social status, to immortalize images. For the first time in American history, individuals from the lower classes and rural parts of the country could participate in self- and family portraiture, which, up until that time, had been the exclusive privilege of those wealthy enough to hire a painter or visit a private photography studio.
Tintypes were produced from 1856 until the mid-1930s and were popular only in America. They were created by coating a thin, black-lacquered sheet of iron with light-sensitive chemicals. (The name tintype came from the fact that tin snips were used to cut the photographs out of iron sheets.)
These portrait photographs had no negatives, so each was unique. Since the surfaces of tintypes were dull and colorless, they were hand-painted to create a more vibrant and animated impression of the sitter. Most of the images in the exhibition are presented in their original frames. Others have had their frames removed but have their original mats. These are being presented in frames appropriate to the period.
The frames vary in complexity with numerous types of moldings and carvings, and represent Federal to Modern styles within the 1860-1910 time period. They are displayed chronologically, allowing visitors to examine the various styles as they developed.
The exhibition, which includes more than 100 photographs, is the first of its kind to recognize not only the importance of the painted tintype within American art, but the importance of the photograph and frame as a single work of art. All of the works in the exhibitions come from the collection of Dr. Burns. He and his wife, Sara Cleary Burns, have spent the last 25 years performing exhaustive and meticulous research on all manner of vernacular photograph-from tintypes to "button" pictures to photographic postcards.
The University Gallery is located on the second floor of Old College. Hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays, and from 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The Gallery is closed on Mondays and University holidays.
For more information, call (302) 831-8242; fax (302) 831-8251 or TDD (302) 831-4563. On weekends, call (302) 831-6589 between 1-5 p.m. Visit the University Gallery on line at <http://seurat.art.udel.edu>.
The exhibition and its related programs are made possible, in part, by support from the UD Faculty Senate Committee on Cultural Activities and Public Events.
Photo credit: The Burns Archive
