The Robinson Collection online Online
Description:
Half-plate Tintype Depicting a Man with a Dog, mat stamped "Ball & Thomas/ 120 W.4th.St.Cin.O.," housed in a half case, (not examined out of case).
Note: According to the Cincinnati Historical Library, J.P. Ball, a noted African American photographer, opened his first studio in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1845, then became an itinerant photographer, traveling to Pittsburgh, Richmond, and throughout Ohio. He eventually resettled in Cincinnati in 1849 and opened a Daguerreian Gallery downtown, which subsequently became one of the most well-known galleries in the U.S. During the early 1850s, when Ball opened an additional gallery in Cincinnati, he hired his future brother-in-law, Alexander Thomas, to work with him, and by 1857, he became a full partner in the business. Ball and Thomas' gallery was soon known as "the finest photographic gallery west of the Allegheny Mountains."
In March 1860, the partnership between J.P. Ball and Alexander Thomas dissolved, but J.P. Ball's younger brother, Thomas C. Ball, continued to work as a studio photographer with Alexander Thomas until his death in 1875.
Estimate $400-600
The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Condition requests can be obtained via email (lot inquiry button) or by telephone to the appropriate gallery location (Boston/617.350.5400 or Marlborough/508.970.3000). Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner Inc. shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.
Keywords
Alexander Thomas, J.P. Ball, Thomas C. Ball, United States, PittsburghJohn Dorfman
Director, Books & Manuscripts
508-970-3293