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The Hold-Up
✓ Authenticity guarantee · ✓ Specialist condition report · ✓ Insured worldwide shipping · ✓ Private-room viewing
Since the beginning of photography, objects and people have been purposefully arranged, or staged, for the camera. Popular in the late 1860s and 1870s, tintypes offered low prices and shortened exposure times. Perhaps because tintypists commonly worked at fairs and carnivals, frivolous images, such as this staged hold-up, became common. In these fictional scenes, all the participants were in on the joke. Some such scenes may be novelties, others may be gag portraits commissioned by groups of friends.
| Artist / Maker | American, 19th century |
|---|---|
| Date | 1880s |
| Culture / Origin | American, 19th century |
| Medium | tintype, whole plate |
| Dimensions | Overall: 21.6 x 16.5 cm (8 1/2 x 6 1/2 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.) |
| Department | Photography |
| Type | Photograph |
About the Artist
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
Shipping & Collection
Fine-art shipping with climate control and full insurance to over 120 countries; collection by appointment.
Buying at Matchless Pieces
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