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Wallace Nutting Hand – Color Photographs

Wallace Nutting Hand – Color Photographs

Wallace Nutting sold the most hand-colored photographs during the years 1900-1940 in America.Golden age of hand-colored photography” than any other photographer of his time. An estimated 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 of his photographs graced the walls of middle-class American homes in the early 20th century. Why was Wallace Nutting so successful? And why his photographs are still widely collected This article represents a basic introduction to the world of Photos of Wallace Nutting.

It was shortly after 1900 that Wallace Nutting retired from the ministry due to ill health (he was a congregational minister in Providence RI at the time). As part of his recovery, he began touring the New England countryside by carriage or automobile, taking photographs of rural New England. Nutting was one of the first to recognize that the American scene was changing. Industrialization was altering the appearance of our country and our pristine, picturesque landscape would never be the same. He seemed to feel that his divine calling was to record the beauty of America for future generations.

Beginning first in Vermont, then in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and finally in the rest of New England, Nutting began photographing country roads, streams, rivers, lakes, orchards, flowers, birch trees, and mountains. Wallace Nutting would take the photograph, give it a title, and instruct his colorists on how it should be hand-tinted. Each image that met Nutting’s high standards for color, composition, and taste would be taped to his mat and signed by his employees with the badge “wallace nut” name. (He hardly ever signed any photos himself.) Those photos that did not meet his strict standards were destroyed. Starting first with outdoor (Exterior) scenes in New England, Nutting eventually toured the United States and Europe, taking photographs in 26 states and 17 foreign countries between 1900 and 1935. In all, he took more than 50,000 photographs, 10,000 of which he deemed to meet his high standards.

It was around 1905 that Nutting began taking his first interior (Inside) images. Supposedly, one day while it was raining outside, Mrs. Nutting suggested that she drink more.”Good to seepicture inside. So, he set up a colonial scene, near a kitchen fireplace, had an employee dress in colonial fashion, and took several different photographs. These sold relatively easily, encouraging him to expand. more in this area.Nutting’s love of antiques, his passion for the pilgrim age, and his unquestioned drive for profit led him to eventually purchase and restore five colonial homes:

  • Webb HouseWethersfield, CT
  • Wentworth Gardner HousePortsmouth, New Hampshire
  • Cutler Bartlett HouseNewburyport, MA
  • Hazen Garrison HouseHaverhill, Massachusetts
  • Saugus Ironworks (Wide Home)Saugus, MA

Nutting bought these houses because he felt that each one represented a different period of early American colonial style and taste. It was here, along with his own houses. crackpot (Southbury, CT) and nuttingholme (Framingham, MA), that most of his interior photos were taken. Nutting’s desire to provide the most correct and appropriate settings for your Inside scenes led him on his quest to assemble one of the greatest collections of antique American furniture ever assembled. He would use the best examples of early American furniture in his Inside scenes and, when I couldn’t find it, I played it. (We’ll focus on reproducing furniture from her in a later article.)

Working in Southbury CT from 1905-12, and then in Framingham MA from 1912 until his death in 1941, Nutting sold literally millions of his hand-colored photographs. He claims to have sold around 10,000,000 paintings although, knowing his habit of exaggerating, that figure is probably a bit high.

Whatever the actual number, it was big. Wallace Nutting’s pictures were sometimes called “the footprints of the poorSold during the first quarter of the 20th century, long before the invention of color photography, these images initially sold for literally pennies. Their market was primarily the middle and lower-middle class…those households that could not afford better forms of art. Because of their low price, Wallace Nutting paintings were bought in large numbers. By 1925, almost no middle-class American home was without one, as they were bought as gifts for weddings, bridal showers, Christmas, birthdays and for just about any other reason imaginable.

Nutting sold many paintings directly through his studios, where he also provided his own framing services. But he also sold his paintings through many other outlets: department stores, pharmacies and gift shops, all over the country. He even had full-time roadside salesmen whose only job was to sell his paintings to these retail establishments. Sellers who, he says, sold enough paintings to retire quite well.

The height of the popularity of the Wallace Nutting image was 1915-25. During this time, Nutting had nearly 100 colorists in his employ, along with another 100 employees who acted as framers, managers, salespeople, managers, and assorted administrative staff. Make no mistake about it… Wallace Nutting’s photographs were big business. But in the late 1920s, people began to tire of Wallace Nutting. As with any other fashion or style, tastes began to change over time. Wallace Nutting pictures fell out of fashion and sales showed a steady decline. Even the introduction of different styles of lower-priced machine-produced mats, greeting cards, pen silhouettes, and process prints failed to rejuvenate sales.

The Wall Street Crash of 1929 and subsequent depression almost sealed the fate of Wallace Nutting’s photography business. Although it remained in operation even after his death, production was inconsequential after the early 1930s. Millions of photographs of Wallace Nutting were probably thrown away over the years. Many of those that remain show signs of 60 to 90 years of use after being stored in attics and basements, with water stains, broken glass, dust, dirt, and mold.

As the original owners of the Wallace Nutting images have aged or passed away, their Wallace Nutting images have also been passed down to another generation. Some were given directly as gifts, others were inherited by children and grandchildren. Those that did not pass down families were sold at auctions, estate sales, tag sales, and flea markets where they re-entered the collectible mainstream during the 1975-2000 period.

What are collectors looking for? Just like in the time of Wallace Nutting, Exterior The scenes have the most appeal. Inside Scenes have more limited appeal, but since they are rarer, they typically command a higher price than Exterior scenes. However, we have seen that America’s fascination with the “Country“The appearance has diminished in the last 5 to 10 years, the interest in Nutting’s Inside the scenes have also been smoothed out.

The most desirable images for serious Nutting collectors are Various unusual scenes. These are images that are out of the standard. Inside Y Exterior scenes: Architectural, Children, Floral, Aliens, Men, Seascapes, Snow scenes and some selected geographical oddities. Nutting’s original sales in these categories were significantly lower than with its Exterior Y Inside scenes, hence its “/i>rarity” attracts collectors. As in other areas of collecting, the rarest specimens, in the best condition, are the easiest to sell, regardless of price. But as important as rarity Y topic in question it is condition. Collectors want pieces in excellent condition, and imperfections such as water stains, blemishes, poor colors, or damaged frames can significantly reduce value.

As of 2010, the auction record for a hand-colored photograph of Wallace Nutting is $9,300.00, which is quite reasonable within the high-priced world of antiques and collectibles. However, as the economy has weakened, so have Wallace Nutting prices and perhaps 90% of Wallace Nutting images are sold in today’s market for less than $150-$200. And many can be had for $50-$75 or less. Which means if you appreciate Wallace Nutting Pictures, this is probably the best time to buy them in the last 25 years.

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