Traveling photographer's sales tool w/color

[no author]

[Salesman's Sample] Photographer's traveling portrait portfolio with three samples (including colored) with protective faux leather roll.

[no place]: [no publisher] [no date]. Faux leather protective roll with two snap closures, containing three portraits on paper. The whole connected on one end between two large (1 1/2 inch) dowel halves on one end. The salesman could add various portraits to the assemblage by separating the two half dowels, adding additional portraits, and screwing the assemblage together again. This example has a green tinted linen guard laid in to protect the paper portraits as they are rolled and snapped shut. Leather roll is approx 17 1/2 inches wide and two foot long. This portfolio contains three examples - the first a black and white distinguished bearded gentleman, the second a stylized woman in brown tint, and the third a young woman with very nice colored tints. All have some wear and dampstaining, and the faux leather covering is stained and has various detritus attached to it. Very Good. [28017]


Large photographic prints were expensive and difficult to store and transport. This was one solution for photographers - a sample portrait that could be rolled up in a protective cover and taken where-ever needed - the fair, the office, or a client's home.

We find one of these a year roughly so they were in use - rarely do we find the same images used though. This example has three images representing different styles/coloring possibilities, each with a penciled number on the back. These may have been examples of Crayon Portraiture which was a method of using crayons, a solar projector, and crayon paper to hand-draw an enlarged portrait from a smaller image. There are other, competing processes as well, all 19th century inventions. We often see the results in victorian era frames in antique shops so there was some success in promoting and creating these portraits.

An excellent "prop" that takes the holder back to the days of the traveling photographer, here in color!

Price: $375.00