Delouis Wilson Collection of Historic Photographic Portraits of African Americans, circa 1890s-circa 1940

Access Restrictions:

Access note. Series contains fragile materials that require extra assistance from staff. Contact Research Services for access.

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Extent:

15 Linear Feet (24 boxes; 1 pamphlet binder)

Physical description:

The mounts range in size from 8x10 to 17 3/4 x 21 3/4 inches (dimensions are approximate), and come in oval, round, and rectangular shapes, some with rounded edges, shoulders, and large scallops. Most of the mounts are convex, but a small group are on flat paper, flat card stock, or canvas. Many of the mounts are brittle and in some cases are abraded or damaged. Delouis Wilson, the artist who collected these portraits in thrift shops and flea markets, retouched and repaired some of the damaged portraits. There may also be older repairs. The frames are no longer present. Conservation staff have created custom enclosures to protect these fragile photographs. Please request assistance when viewing them in the reading room.

Scope and content:

The thirty large, unframed photographic portraits in this series were collected by artist Delouis Wilson in thrift and flea markets chiefly in the South. All are portraits of African American individuals, couples, and families, almot all taken in studio settings between the 1890s and 1940. The only true fully-developed black-and-white photograph in the collection was taken outside in what appears to be a rural location. The rest are crayon enlargement photographs, mounted on convex card stock and touched up by the portrait studios with ink, chalk, pastel, and other pigments.

A handful of prints are marked on the backs with negative numbers, measurements, or other studio codes. Only one studio or photographer's name appears (Thame), but no location is known for this or any other image, with one exception: a portrait of a woman which bears the name "Mary Mills," and includes a street address but no city or state.

Biographical / historical:

Large convex colorized photographic portraits such as the ones in this collection were valuable objects popular from about 1890 to the early 1940s, with a peak in popularity from 1890-1920. In a reference to the production process, they are known by the term "crayon enlargements." The mounts were typically oval convex card stock, and the glass covering them was also convex, thus they were often called "bubble glass portraits."

The prints were made by developing enlarged photographic images on a weakly sensitive emulsion, producing a faint photographic image, then filling in details and colors with wax or pastel crayon, ink, and other pigments. In some cases the studio retouchers added air-brushed or watercolor backgrounds such as clouds and blue sky. The effect resembled an image more akin to a painting than a photograph.

Physical facet:

30 portraits

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