[Clown]
Charles DeForest Fredricks American
Not on view
Fredricks operated one of the most successful photographic studios in New York City, at 585 and 587 Broadway. Beginning in 1854 and for more than thirty years, its painted sign hailed it as a “Photographic Temple of Art.” Fredricks specialized in portraiture, producing large-format and cartes-de-visite likenesses of politicians, Civil War generals, celebrities, and actors, including Lincoln’s assassin,
John Wilkes Booth. This light-hearted photograph depicts a costumed figure—possibly a character from the commedia dell’arte—striking a gallant pose in a dramatic composition that emphasizes the theatrical nature of studio portraiture.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
![[Clown], Charles DeForest Fredricks (American, 1823–1894), Albumen silver print](/Rodan/dist/svg/rolling-0.9s-30px.svg)
