“Barbara Reading” or “Stolen Fruit”

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

Frances and Mary Allen were art photographers from Deerfield, Massachusetts, who often used their relatives as models. This is Barbara Allen, one of their nieces. Her sister, Eunice, also a frequent model in their photographs, helped at the shop Frances and Mary ran to sell prints of their photographs. One day in 1917, when Barbara chose to help–a rare event, since she preferred to play outside–they sold, according to one sister’s diary, “nearly $25 of small prints, which is more than we have done for a year.” Here, Barbara is dressed as a pseudo- Puritan, her clothing being an inaccurate and stereotypical representation. The Allen sisters often used moments from Deerfield’s history as inspiration for their photographs.

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Details

Item typePhotograph
PhotographerAllen, Frances and Mary
Datecirca 1910
PlaceDeerfield, Massachusetts
TopicArt, Music, Literature, Crafts
Clothing, Textile, Fashion, Costume
Commerce, Business, Trade, Consumerism
EraProgressive Era, World War I, 1900–1928
MaterialPaper; Metal
Process/FormatPhotography; Platinum
Dimension details.01: 13.25″ x 5″ .02: 13.125″ x 5.5″
Catalog #1996.14.0065.01-.03
View this item in our curatorial database →
Allen, Frances and Mary, photographer. Barbara Reading. Photograph. ca. 1910. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1996-14-0065-01-03/. Accessed on December 7, 2024.

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