United States, Navajo
1850s
Sixth plate tintype
Height approx 3 1/2 × Width 2 1/2" (8.9 × 6.4 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Seattle, Washington
This anonymous sixth plate tintype depicts a Navajo woman wearing a striped blanket and jewelry, placed very early within the photographic record of Native American portraiture. The 1850s date positions this among the earliest tintype portraits of Indigenous subjects in the American Southwest. The cased presentation, gilt mat, and small plate format are central to the object's historical character.
The portrait is direct and formally composed, with attention centered on the sitter's face, blanket, hair, and adornment. Tintypes were durable photographic images made on thin metal plates and widely used for personal portraits in the nineteenth century. This example is presented with attention to subject, process, format, and provenance.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
United States, Navajo
1850s
Sixth plate tintype
Height approx 3 1/2 × Width 2 1/2" (8.9 × 6.4 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Seattle, Washington
This anonymous sixth plate tintype depicts a Navajo woman wearing a striped blanket and jewelry, placed very early within the photographic record of Native American portraiture. The 1850s date positions this among the earliest tintype portraits of Indigenous subjects in the American Southwest. The cased presentation, gilt mat, and small plate format are central to the object's historical character.
The portrait is direct and formally composed, with attention centered on the sitter's face, blanket, hair, and adornment. Tintypes were durable photographic images made on thin metal plates and widely used for personal portraits in the nineteenth century. This example is presented with attention to subject, process, format, and provenance.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
