“Pilgrim’s Progress”

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

About this item

Pilgrim’s Progress, written by John Bunyan in 1678, was standard reading in New England schools in the 18th century. Photographers Frances and Mary Allen, of Deerfield, Massachusetts, costumed and carefully posed a young boy with “the book” illuminated by candlelight. The Colonial Revival of the early 20th century and the public appetite for historical fiction heavily influenced this and other historical tableaus the Allen sisters choreographed. In this case, the image was an intricate and skilled fiction that conveyed the quest for knowledge believed to have been present in earlier times.

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Details

Item typePhotograph
PhotographerAllen, Frances and Mary
Datecirca 1910
PlaceDeerfield, Massachusetts
TopicEducation, Literacy
Colonial Revival, Arts and Crafts Movement
EraProgressive Era, World War I, 1900–1928
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPhotography; Platinum
Dimension detailsHeight: 6.75 in Width: 4.50 in
Catalog #1996.14.0244
View this item in our curatorial database →
Allen, Frances and Mary, photographer. Pilgrim’s Progress. Photograph. ca. 1910. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1996-14-0244/. Accessed on December 8, 2024.

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