Fred Thompson Hand-Tinted Photograph

This is a Fred Thompson hand-tinted photograph. It is difficult to place the exact date other than 1908-1923,the years his company was in business.

The back is covered in paper and has a label printed on it that says:

• Fred Thompson
• Pictures — Oddities
• No 4151 C-3 Frame  [4151 is written in pencil]
• Thompson Art Co. Portland Maine

“Fred Thompson was the signature used by Frederick H. Thompson (1844-1909) and his son, Frederick M. Thompson (circa 1876-1923).” [1]

“Established in 1908 in Portland, Maine, the Thompson Art Company featured New England landscapes and tall-masted sailing ships. Not long after launching the business, Thompson committed suicide in 1909.  His son, Frederick M. (1876-1923) continued operating the company until his death”.[2]

Fred was a follower of Wallace Nutting (1861-1941) who was a popular and prolific artist who became the leader in hand-tinted photography. “Several photographers who worked with Nutting went on to establish their own careers in the genre. They include David Davidson (1881-1967), Charles Sawyer (1868-1954) and Fred Thompson (1844-1909).[2]”

I saw several similar items selling on ebay with prices ranging from $36 – $80.  Most hovering around $65-75.  None of the others had a Fred Thompson label printed on the back.  Wallace Nutting’s hand-tinted photographs typically go for more than Fred’s.

I found one on Etsy.com that had a similar label.  (link)

Post Script: Shortly after posting this blog, I was going through old books and came across one of Steve’s that I’ve seen hundreds of times, Pennsylvania Beautiful. In fact he has two copies and I was wondering if we might get rid of the second copy.  Then I noticed it was by Wallace Nutting, who I had not heard of until this morning and was then forced to return to the computer to update this entry. What a coincidence.

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[1] “Rare Items Not Necessarily Valuable” August 28, 1999|RALPH KOVEL and TERRY KOVEL | SPECIAL TO THE TIMES, http://articles.latimes.com/1999/aug/28/home/hm-4381

[2] “Art Markets: Hand-painted photo art can fool the eye”  Mary Manion | November 12, 2008, http://www.antiquetrader.com/antiques/antiques-americana/art_markets_hand_painted_photo_art