“Confidences”

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

About this item

Frances and Mary Allen were pioneers in the field of art photography. Their subject choices and techniques set them apart from the formal studio portraits of the period. Artistry and patience combined to convey an aura of intimacy and spontaneity despite long exposure times and other technological limitations of the time. They often used the camera to invite the viewer into a carefully choreographed scene or story. In this case, the sisters captured the Victorian ideal of female friendship when they dressed these women in 1860s-era clothing and posed them exchanging “confidences” in the doorway of a Deerfield, Massachusetts, home.

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Details

Item typeArtwork
Photograph
PhotographerAllen, Frances and Mary
Datecirca 1914
PlaceDeerfield, Massachusetts
TopicArt, Music, Literature, Crafts
Gender, Gender Roles, Women
Clothing, Textile, Fashion, Costume
EraProgressive Era, World War I, 1900–1928
MaterialPaper; Metal
Process/FormatPhotography; Platinum
Dimension detailsSame Height: 6.25 in Same Width: 8.25 in
Catalog #1996.14.0286.01-.03
View this item in our curatorial database →
Allen, Frances and Mary, photographer. Confidences. Photograph. ca. 1914. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1996-14-0286-01-03/. Accessed on December 8, 2024.

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