Wallace Nutting Hand – Color Photographs
Wallace Nutting sold the most hand-colored photographs during the 1900-1940s in the United States.Golden Age of Hand Colored Photography” than any other photographer of his day. It is estimated that between 5,000,000 and 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 are his photographs still widely collected?This article represents a basic introduction to the world of photography. Wallace Nutting Photos.
It was shortly after 1900 that Wallace Nutting retired from the ministry due to failing 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 face of our country and our pure and picturesque landscape would never be the same again. He seemed to feel that his divine calling was to record the beauty of America for future generations.
Beginning first in Vermont, then Massachusetts and Connecticut, and finally 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, assign it a title, and instruct his colorists on how it should be hand-tinted. Each image that met Nutting’s high standards of colour, composition and taste would be taped to his mat and signed by his employees with the hallmark “wallace nut” name. (Almost never signed any photos himself.) Those photos that did not meet his strict standards were destroyed. Beginning first with outdoor scenes (Exterior) in New England, Nutting eventually traveled throughout 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 judged to meet his high standards.
It was around 1905 that Nutting began to take his first interior (Inside) photos. Supposedly, one day while she was raining outside, Mrs. Nutting suggested that she take more.”Good to see” picture 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 antiquing, his passion for the pilgrimage season and his unquestionable desire for profit led him to acquire and ultimately restore five colonial houses:
- webb houseWethersfield, CT
- Wentworth Gardner HousePortsmouth, New Hampshire
- Cutler Bartlett HouseNewburyport, MA
- Hazen Garrison HouseHaverhill, MA
- Saugus Iron Works (Wide Home)Saugus, M.A.
Nutting purchased 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. craziness (Southbury, CT) and nuttingholme (Framingham, MA), which most of its interior photographs 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 he couldn’t find it, he reproduced it. (We’ll focus on reproducing her furniture 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 large. Wallace Nutting’s pictures were sometimes called “the footprints of the poor“. Sold throughout 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 did not they could afford better forms of art. Due to their low price, Wallace Nutting’s paintings were purchased in large numbers. By 1925, almost no middle-class American home was without one, as they were purchased 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, drug stores, and gift shops, all over the country. He even had full-time roadside salesmen whose sole job was to sell his paintings to these retail establishments. Sellers who, he claims, sold enough paintings to retire fairly well.
The heyday of the popularity of the Wallace Nutting image was 1915-25. During this time, Nutting had close to 100 colorists in his employ, along with 100 other employees who acted as framers, handlers, salesmen, managers, and assorted back office personnel. Make no mistake about that… Wallace Nutting’s photographs were big business. But by the late 1920s, people began to tire of Wallace Nutting. As with any other fashion or style, tastes began to change over time. Pictures of Wallace Nutting went out of fashion, and sales showed a steady decline. Even the introduction of different styles of mats, greeting cards, pen silhouettes, and lower-priced machine-produced print processes could not rejuvenate sales.
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the subsequent depression nearly sealed the fate of the Wallace Nutting photography business. Although it remained in operation even after his death, production was inconsequential after the early 1930s. Over the years, probably millions of photographs of Wallace Nutting were thrown away. 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 images of Wallace Nutting have also been passed down to another generation. Some were given directly as a gift, others were inherited by children and grandchildren. Those that did not pass down to families were sold at auctions, estate sales, tag sales, and flea markets where they re-entered the collectibles mainstream during the period 1975-2000.
What are collectors looking for? As in the time of Wallace Nutting, Abroad The scenes have the greatest appeal. Inside Scenes have more limited appeal, but since they’re rarer, they tend to command a higher price than Abroad scenes. However, we have seen that America’s fascination with the “Country“Appearance has declined in the last 5 to 10 years, interest in Nutting’s Inside scenes have also been softened.
The most desirable images for serious Nutting collectors are Various unusual scenes. These are images that are out of the ordinary. Inside and Abroad scenes: Architectural, Boys, Floral, Aliens, Men, Seascapes, Snow scenes and some selected geographic oddities. Nutting’s original sales in these categories were significantly lower than with its Abroad and Inside scenes, hence its “/i>rarity” attracts collectors. As in other areas of collecting, rare items, in the best condition, are the easiest to sell, regardless of price. But as important as rarity and topic in question is condition. Collectors want pieces in excellent condition and blemishes such as water spots, blemishes, poor color 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 sell 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.