“A Young Boy and Child Seated Together”
/Bryan R. Johnson’s Portrait photograph, “a young Boy and Child seated together”
THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
BRYAN R. JOHNSON was born c. 1834 in New York State, and his death date is unidentified. After working as a photographer in several California cities, Johnson moved to Petaluma and beginning in December of 1862 co-partnered with Edward P. Butler at the Ambrotype and Photographic Gallery on Petaluma’s Phoenix Block. In April of 1863 Johnson took sole possession of the gallery and renamed it “Johnson’s Premier Pioneer Photographic Gallery”. In 1864 he moved his studio twice within the community and continued working in Petaluma at least until 1867. (For additional information on this photographer and to view all portraits by him in the collection, click on his name in blue above.)
THE SITTERS:
Names: unidentified
Description: This is a rare and important, although enigmatic, double portrait. The boy on the left may be a Native American of the Coast Miwok Tribe. He wears a long, light-colored work shirt and dark pants. Curiously, it appears there is a concealed, circular object resting on his left thigh between the fabric of his shirt and his pants. He rests his right hand in the center of the object. The child next to him has blond hair and light skin. The child is attired in a plaid dress with a white collar and black bow tie. Encircling the crown of the child’s head is an intriguing hat. It consists of a wide, plaid band with embellishments applied to the section of the band over the child’s forehead.
The boy leans towards the child with protective and comforting gestures. While titing his head toward the child, the boy’s left arm embraces the child, drawing their upper bodies together. The fingers of his left hand can be seen to the right of the child’s face, drawing the child’s head to rest on his shoulder. The boy also raises his left leg off the floor in a position obviously meant to support and contain the child’s lower body. The boy’s posture and face exude a calm dignity. The child appears anxious and apprehensive. The child holds its grasping right hand in the air and clutches its ankle with its left hand.
Biographical Note:
Family Affiliation:
Bibliography:
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: carte de visite
Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: The boy and child depicted in this double portrait sit together on a stool or chair. The background is bare except for an unidentified vertical object on the extreme left. The floor has a mosaic tile design, and an unidentified object lies on the floor to the right.
Description, back: An orange, two-cent United States Internal Revenue tax stamp has been applied to the top left corner. It has been positioned on its side and canceled with a black line through its center. This stamp documents that the price of this portrait was less than 25 cents. Bryan Johnson’s scallop-border imprint appears in the center of the card. On the bottom edge is written: “Negatives preserved from which extra copies may be had at less than regular prices.”
Date: Based on this carte de visite’s revenue stamp, this portrait can be dated between August 1864 and August 1866.
Condition: The front of this carte de visite is soiled on its top and bottom edges, and the back is slightly soiled throughout.
Owner: The Dan Brown Collection, digital copy by permission.
Reproduction rights: The Petaluma Museum Association makes no assertions as to ownership of any original copyrights to the digitized images here reproduced. These images are intended for personal or research use only. Any other kind of use, including, but not limited to commercial or scholarly publication in any medium or format, public exhibition, or use online or in a web site, may be subject to additional restrictions including but not limited to the copyrights held by parties other than the Association. USERS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE for determining the existence of such rights and for obtaining any permissions and/or paying associated fees necessary for the proposed use.