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Boys Playing Marbles

Artist Unknown
Dateca. 1850-1852
MediumDaguerreotype
DimensionsPlate (half): 5 1/2 × 4 1/2 inches (13.97 × 11.43 cm)
Framed: 6 13/16 × 8 15/16 × 1/2 inches (17.3 × 22.7 × 1.27 cm)
Credit LineGift of Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Object number2005.27.288
Signednone
Inscribednone
MarkingsOn plate verso, on modern paper seal, in pencil: "Scovill Mfg co Extra / Plate Mfg's. mark @ upper right corner (Rinhart 46c) / Reglazed 2-ply 100% rag board inserted as a backing sealed with filmoplast p-90 tape 2-28-2006 GSW"
On View
Not on view
Collections
DescriptionImage of boys playing marbles in the alley. This half-plate daguerreotype is housed in a brass mat with an oak leaf and acorn-style motif inside of a small black frame with floral motifs.Gallery Label
This charming scene, taken outdoors, is unusual in its relaxed, if not entirely candid, composition. Most daguerreotypists worked inside the confines of their studios, with readily available props and skylights that ensured sufficient lighting and proper exposures. When working outside, such controls were less possible, making exposures such as this, which included moving figures, incredibly difficult to achieve.
Provenance
Purchased from George Rinhart by Hallmark Cards, Inc., Kansas City, MO, 2000; 
Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2005. 
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.


Jerusha Forbes Holding a Daguerreotype
Unknown
ca. 1848-1850
2005.27.44
recto image
Silas A. Holmes
ca. 1854
2005.27.428
Group Posed in Alley
Unknown
ca. 1843-1844
2005.27.483
Two Boys "Fighting"
Unknown
ca. 1850
2005.27.66
Three Men Playing Backgammon
Unknown
ca. 1850
2005.27.69
Two Men Playing Cards
Unknown
ca. 1848
2005.27.68
Brother and Sister
Unknown
ca. 1849
2005.27.4677
Portrait of a Young Man
George N. Barnard
ca. 1850
2005.27.4624
Boy with Donkey
Unknown
ca. 1850
2005.27.576