Early 20th century hand-colored photography, and Wallace Nutting pictures in particular, has become increasingly popular with collectors in recent years. The number of collectors has been growing and good quality pictures at reasonable prices have become more difficult to locate.
Regardless of the causes for all this interest, the hand-colored photography market has indeed been hot, and Wallace Nutting has been in the center of it. To understand the hand-colored photography market, you must first understand the Nutting market, and the fact that there are actually three different and distinct segments within the Nutting market. This column will attempt to put the overall market of early 20th century hand-colored photography in perspective.
Future columns will focus more in-depth upon each of the leading photo- graphers and segments within this market, as well as on many of the art and art prints of many of the early 20th c. artists and illustrators who where competing with hand-colored photo- graphy within the "middle class" art marketplace, including Maxfield Par- rish, Bessie Pease Gutmann, R. Atkinson Fox, Philip Boileau, Harrison Fisher, Maud Humphrey, and much, much more. Wallace Nutting was best known for his hand-colored pictures. He sold literally millions of his platinotypes between 1900 and his death in 1941 and by 1925, hardly an American middle-class household was without one.
Nutting was an accomplished author who published nearly 20 books between 1912-1936, including his 10-volume "States Beautiful" series, various other books on Furniture, Photography, Clocks, as well as his own personal Biography. He also contributed many photographs which where published in magazines and other books, and as a result of the in-depth research for his books, Nutting became widely regarded as the Father of American Antiques. And Nutting also became widely renown for his reproduction furniture. His Massachusetts furniture shop reproduced literally hundreds of different furniture forms of clocks, stools, chairs, settles, settees, tables, stands, desks, mirrors, beds, chests of drawers, cabinet pieces, and treenware, most of which was clearly marked with his distinctive Paper Label, or his hard-to-miss Block or Script Signa- ture, which was literally "branded" into his furniture. Today, Wallace Nutting reproduction furniture is almost universally considered to be the finest bench-made reproduction furniture produced in the 20th c. and is highly collectible by all levels of collectors.
Wallace Nutting Pictures...Wallace Nutting Books...Wallace Nutting Furniture...three separate and distinct markets, each with their own group of collectors and enthusiasts. Synergy means that the product is greater than the sum of all of its separate and individual parts. This is what places Wallace Nutting as the most collectible of all early 20th century hand-colored photographers. The overall synergy of the Wallace Nutting name has made just about anything Wallace Nutting extremely collectible today. The legion of Nutting collectors has grown significantly in recent years, and as we approach the 21st century, there are more people actively seeking Wallace Nutting pictures than ever before.
In very simple economic terms, when too many people are chasing after too few goods, prices have a tendency to rise. This is exactly what is happening within the Wallace Nutting market today. Too many collectors and dealers are chasing after too few pictures with the net effect being that prices for those pictures remaining in circulation now often cost more than they did several years ago.
It's not that the number of Wallace Nutting pictures is decreasing. Rather, as the number of collectors has grown, an increasing number of pictures are being purchased and held in private collections. These are usually the best pictures, in the finest condition, which, in effect, takes them out of circulation. With fewer pictures remaining in circulation, and more people actively pursuing them, the asking prices on those pictures still in circulation are generally higher than they were 12-24 months ago. And because so many collectors are unable to find the rarer pictures in excellent quality, many are paying more for lower quality pictures, while others have slowed down their volume of Wallace Nutting purchases.
And as Wallace Nutting pictures have become increasingly more expensive and difficult to find, more collectors have been gravitating to the comparable, increasingly collectible, yet less expensive, pictures of other early 20th century photographers.
What many collectors are now beginning to learn is that although Wallace Nutting was widely recognized as the country's leading producer of hand-colored photographs during the early 20th century, he was by no means the only photographer selling this style of picture. Throughout the country literally hundreds of regional photographers were selling their own brand of hand-colored photographs from their home region or travels.
The key to understanding the hand-colored photography market rests upon developing an understanding of the important photographers within this market. The following summaries are designed to provide a very brief overview of each major market segments, while this Inverted Pyramid graphic is intended to help to visually demonstrate the current inter-relationship between the four primary segments within the hand-colored photography market.
Level #1: Wallace Nutting Pictures
Nutting was the unquestioned leader within the field of early 20th century hand-colored photographers. Starting on a part-time basis in 1898, Nutting worked in Southbury, Connecticut from 1905-1912, and in Framingham, Massachusetts from 1912 until his death in 1941.
Wallace Nutting pictures are generally the most desirable and collectible of all early 20th century photographs
Wallace Nutting pictures are more readily available to collect than all other "Nutting-Like" photographers combined
There are a larger variety of Wallace Nutting subjects and topics to collect than all other "Nutting-Like" photographers combined
Wallace Nutting pictures are typically priced higher than any comparable "Nutting-Like" picture.
David Davidson, Charles Sawyer, and Fred Thompson each operated relatively large photography businesses and, although not nearly as large or well-known as Wallace Nutting, they sold a substantial volume of pictures which can still be readily found today, often times at undervalued prices. The vast majority of their work was photographed in their home regions of New England and sold primarily to local residents or visiting tourists.
And it should come as little surprise that each of these three had ties to Wallace Nutting.
David Davidson: Second to Nutting in overall production, Davidson worked out of Providence, Rhode Island and sold his pictures primarily in the Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts area. While a student at Brown University around 1900, Davidson learned the art of hand-colored photography from Wallace Nutting, who happened to be the Minister at Davidson's church. After Nutting moved to Southbury in 1905, Davidson graduated from Brown and started the successful David Davidson Studio in 1907 which he operated until the 1950's.
Sawyer: A father & son team, Charles H. Sawyer and Harold B. Sawyer, operated the very successful Sawyer Pictures Company from 1903-1970's. Beginning in Farmington, Maine, the Sawyer Art Company moved to Concord, New Hampshire in 1920 to be nearer their primary market of New Hampshire's White Mountains. Charles H. Sawyer briefly worked for Nutting in 1902-03 while living in Farmington. Sawyer's production ranked #3, behind Wallace Nutting and David Davidson.
Fred Thompson: Frederick H. Thompson and Frederick M. Thompson were another father and son team, operating the Thompson Art Company from 1908-1923, in the Portland, Maine area. We know that Thompson and Nutting had collaborat- ed because Thompson widely marketed an Interior scene he had taken in Nutting's Southbury home. The production volume of the Thompson Art Company ranks #4, behind Nutting, Davidson, and Sawyer.
There are an increasing number of collectors who are focusing their collections on David Davidson, Fred Thompson, and Sawyer pictures.
When taken as a group, there are more Wallace Nutting pictures in circulation than all Davidson-Sawyer-Thompson pictures combined.
When taken as a group, there are more Davidson-Sawyer-Thompson pictures in circulation than all of the Lesser-Known and Unknown Photographers combined.
With few exceptions, the prices of Davidson-Sawyer-Thompson pictures are lower than comparable Wallace Nuttings, and are higher than all comparable Lesser-Known and Unknown Photographers combined.
Level #3...Lesser-Known Wallace Nutting-Like Photographers
Hundreds of other smaller local and regional photographers attempted to market hand-colored pictures comparable to Nutting-Davidson-Sawyer-Thompson pictures during the 1900-1940's. Although often times quite attractive, most were not as appealing or as well marketed as the better-known Nutting-Davidson-Sawyer Thompson names. As we all know, collectors always buy the name and the most famous of all early 20th century photographers were Nutting- Davidson-Thompson-Sawyer. However, as the price of Wallace Nutting pictures has escalated, the work of these Lesser-Known Photographers have become increasingly collectible and are still quite affordable.
The Lesser-Known Photographers are typically not as widely collectible or desirable as Wallace Nutting, David Davidson, Fred Thompson, or Sawyer pictures.
Most pictures within this category are collected within the very broad scope of early 20th century photography rather than by the desirability of the individual photographer.
Price and condition are typically the primary buying motivators within this category. That is, if the price is low enough and the subject matter and condition are good enough, some collectors will want the picture; if the price is too high, or if the subject matter and condition are either uninteresting or of poor quality, few collectors will want it.
There are a limited number of collectors who are focusing their collections on specific Lesser-Known Photographers, including, but not limited to Chas. R. Higgins, J. Carleton Bicknell, and H. Marshall and W.H. Gardiner.
When taken as a group, there are fewer Lesser- Known pictures available to collect than either Level #1 (Nutting) or Level #2 (Davidson-Sawyer-Thompson).
When taken as a group, there are more Lesser Known pictures available to collect than in the entire Unknown Photographer category.
With few exceptions, the prices of Lesser-Known Photographers are lower than Level #1 (Nutting) and Level #2 (Davidson-Sawyer-Thompson), but are higher than most pictures by Level #4 Unknown Photographers.
These are hand-colored pictures that are not attributable to any specific photographer by a signature, backing label, or by any other means. Since collectors typically collect the name, pictures by Unknown Photographers are the least collectible of all hand-colored photographs. Hence, subject matter, condition, and price will be the primary determinants of value.
Subject matter typically consists of such topics as people, animals, houses, landscapes, specific places, etc.
When taken as a group, there are fewer pictures by Unknown Photographers available than all other individual categories
When taken as a group, prices for pictures within this group are typically lower than any other categories
This first column on Exploring Popular Early 20th c. Prints was simply intended to help you to better understand the inter-relationships between the four major segments within the early 20th c. hand-colored photography market. Future columns will be devoted to exploring in more detail many of the key photographers within this rapidly growing field, as well as many of the artists and illustrators who were competing for public popularity and acclaim with the hand-colored photographers.
Note: Michael Ivankovich is a collector, dealer, author, and auctioneer specializing in early 20th century hand-colored photography and prints. Questions or inquiries can be directed to him at: P.O. Box 2458, Doylestown, PA 18901. If you want a reply, include a self-address-stamped- envelope. You can also visit his internet web site at: www.wnutting.com