Sunday, October 7, 2012

A Tribute in Tin to Adelina Patti, the Queen of Song

Adelina Patti, 1843-1919, was one of the great phenomena of the Nineteenth century.  Her career as an opera singer was a succession of triumphs from her debut in 1859 until the early 1900’s, when she “retired” into an endless series of farewell tours.  In addition to her musical accomplishments, Patti possessed a true star quality that made her a household name even to those unable to attend her performances.

Her fame also made her quite possibly the most photographed woman of the Victorian era. Dozens of portraits abound, typically as paper photos mounted on cardboard. Yet not long ago I came across this fairly unusual one dating from the 1880's, painted over a full-plate tintype. 

Painted tintype of Adelina Patti, after Mora.
As usual, click any picture to enlarge.

Tintypes, sometimes called  ferrotypes, were photographs on tin plates that were very common in the 19th century. As much as we might admire them today, they were originally an inexpensive form of photography suited to itinerant photographers and outdoor venues. Perhaps the quintessential tintype is one that depicts beach-side vacationers in their Victorian bathing suits. 

Some people as an economical alternative to regular oil portraits had full-plate tintypes (about six by eight inches) taken, then colored or painted over to simulate an original painting. However, a star of Patti’s stature would have been above this form of photography, and in fact tintypes of celebrities are rare almost to the point of non-existence.

The original of this portrait is instantly recognizable. It was taken in 1882 by the American celebrity photographer Mora, and with others from the same session is often seen in cabinet format (about four by six inches) . Although there were dozens of Patti portraits to choose from, the Mora photograph seemed to represent an ideal of the period, and was seen in many guises.

A slightly different angle.

3/4 length, and hand tinted.

In addition to being copied in tin in the present case, this photo was also pressed into service for advertising, among other things, Chicago Corsets and Pears’ soap.

Celebrity endorsements are nothing new.

One wonders if Patti were paid or even consulted on these ads.

I also have a stereoview of the Mora portrait encased in skeleton leaves. These leaves were a favorite Victorian craft, and arrangements were encased under glass domes or preserved in photographs. Often, portraits encircled by wreaths of skeleton leaves are erroneously assumed to be memorial pictures. Since Patti lived until 1919, the wreath in this 19th century photo was only meant to provide an attractive setting.




It is easy to imagine some early fan of Patti’s, entranced by her fame, beauty and personality, creating this unusual tribute.  The Mora photograph was first copied as a tintype.  Perhaps some experimenting was required to produce the large tintype; when I bought this it was accompanied by a rather poor-quality, small-sized tintype of the same photo.



The artist who colored this photo was a very good one.  The skin tones are perfect, every eyelet and detail of lace painstakingly depicted, and the background is beautifully stippled, resembling enamel. The dress was enlivened with bright red, and the highlights in the hair wonderfully enhanced. Age has crazed the painted surface, and although the paint is solidly adhering, and not yet separating or flaking, this will have to be monitored in the future.

In addition to photographs, Patti’s image was also recorded by professional artists. The painter Franz Winterhalter famously painted her twice; the beautiful picture below is at Harewood House in Yorkshire, England. The almost folk-art charm of the painted tintype becomes very apparent when compared to the elegant Winterhalter portrait.

Formal portrait by Winterhalter, via Harewood House website.

I love to imagine the Patti tintype in its original setting, on the wall of some Victorian parlor. Portraits of this period were often mounted in deeply-molded walnut frames, and one can clearly see the shadow of an oval mat. I will be on the lookout for an appropriate frame, but in the meantime through the magic of photo-editing I have restored the tintype to a surmise of its original appearance.


Adelina Patti was one of the greatest artists and celebrities of the Nineteenth century. Through her career, portraits, advertising and recordings she left her mark on both the serious musical history and on the popular culture of her day.  Her admirers were legion, and one of them went to substantial trouble to commission this unusual souvenir in tin and pigment.

26 comments:

  1. Dear Jim - I hang my head in shame and admit to having never heard of her before.
    As a result of your post, I have now looked her up to discover a little bit more about her. Apparently she was born in Spain of Sicilian parents, and had two French husbands.
    Your tintype shows a lovely portrait and clever you for framing it so beautifully. I hope that in time you will come across something similar to put it in.
    The Harwood House portrait is lovely and reveals her latin background.
    I found this on Youtube
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6jRLezhqN0&feature=related

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    1. Hello Rosemary, I'm sure now that Patti has been brought to your attention, you will find references to her all the time. To add one more element to her biography, she moved to New York when she was quite small, and so was brought up more or less an American.

      Several of her recordings are available on Youtube or elsewhere, but you have to keep in mind that she made these in 1905-6, and as wonderful as they are, she was in her 60's and so the voice is no longer in its prime.

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  2. As a favoured Court and royal portraitist, I suppose Winterhalter was quite adept at flattering his subjects, and yet strangely his portrait of Patti is less so when you can see the photgraphic image.

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    1. Hello Columnist, Perhaps Winterhalter was aiming for a pretty effect, rather than for a psychologically penetrating portrait. Patti was very young in the painting, and about 20 years older in the photograph, and so is more mature and self-assured.

      Your own blog on "Paying Peanuts" provided the best example of a quality original painting, but the painted-over portrait was less than successful:
      http://corcol.blogspot.tw/2012/08/paying-peanuts.html

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  3. Your tintype is beautiful, and I love the framing you have imagined for it. I thoroughly enjoyed this visit through these various depictions of Patti--from advertising to formal portrait, and admire the research you've done.

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    1. Hello Jen, I think that is one of the main reasons to collect things--the opportunity for research they afford, and the fun of discovering all the links. It is amazing how much mileage they got from that Mora portrait.

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  4. Hello, Parnassus - Now that Rosemary has mentioned Patti's background, I'm looking at the attire on your handsome ferrotype and thinking that she might be wearing a Sicillian costume. I like your choice for a frame (and very much appreciate your photo-editing), but it would be a shame to cover up the edges of that superlative tinting job! I'm not at all bothered by the oval shadow — I think it reveals a history and almost appears to be a hallo . . .

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  5. Hi Mark, I am not sure whether she is attired in a costume or just the fancy street clothes of the period.

    Although oval mats are very traditional, I agree with you that it might not be necessary to use one at this time, especially since the bright red tinting on the arms would be covered up, along with some of the lace. When the time comes I'll have to experiment and photo-edit a little more. As you say, that shadow might resemble a halo--I'll just have to be careful not to display my photograph of Etelka Gerster near it.

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  6. Dear Parnassus,

    Like Rosemary, I knew nothing of Adelina Patti so I thank you for introducing her to me. She has a rather determined chin I think.
    I smiled when I read about her farewell tours. It reminds me of Dame Nellie Melba. Her farewells are equally legendary and if someone was taking a long time to leave a function, they were said to be 'making more farewells than Melba!

    Bye for now
    Kirk

    PS
    I love the Winterhalter portrait. He always seemed to do his subjects proud, didn't he.

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  7. Hello Kirk, I guess it is a dilemma for singers whether to let people remember them in their prime, or to satisfy the nostalgia of their fans and incidentally rake in some more money. It seems that all the pop singers of the 1950'-60's re-create their groups then tour until they keel over.

    I agree with your about that determined Patti chin. It was perhaps necessary for someone who scaled the heights as she did, but photos of her less-celebrated brother and sisters reveal that it was a family trait.

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  8. Dear Parnassus,
    Thank you for introducing Adelina Patti to us (me, at least). I collect many items from the Victorian era, and love combing antiques shows for goodies. I look forward to running into Ms. Patti one day at a show....and showing off my knowledge to the dealer. I do love the walnut frame....very dignified.
    Cheers,
    Loi

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    1. Hello Loi, I'm sure you will start to locate Patti objects. She is well-represented in photographs, advertisements, trade cards and cigarette cards, etc. If you are lucky, you might even encounter an old box from Adelina Patti cigars.

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  9. It is a VERY small world that we live in. Until I read your post I had not known the name Adelina Patti.

    This week I was watching a historical analysis of Bronislaw Huberman's violin playing and organising of a new orchestra. And was delighted to see that in 1894, Ms Patti invited Huberman to participate in her farewell gala in London. She was absolutely famous in 1894 and he was not. And they went on to share successful appearances in Vienna, as well.

    I was so excited at seeing them together in the original film footage, I gave a big yell in the middle of the dark cinema. Thank you.

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    1. Hello Hels, For several decades, Adelina Patti was the world's greatest musical celebrity; now that she has entered your radar, you will probably find many references to her. I had never heard of any connection to Huberman, but in retrospect it is not so surprising. It is amusing to note that this was in connection with a farewell concert; Patti was one of those artists that made a second career out of farewell tours and concerts, and a good thing, too, else we might not have those Patti records.

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    2. There is an expression we use often, "more farewells than Dame Nellie Melba". It can be used for a musician of course, but can equally be used for a parliamentarian or a sports star. I love the idea of a career out of farewell tours :)

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    3. Hello Hels, Some artists prefer to retire early, so that people remember them in their prime, but these protracted farewells serve an additional purpose, to allow people to express the adulation they held for favorite performers.

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    4. Can you please, please , please tell me where I can see this 1894 footage with Patti and Huberman!

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    5. Hello Zack, Since this post was a while ago, you might try to contact Hels directly, by clicking on her name above.

      Good luck finding that Huberman documentary.

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  10. Hi Parnassus - thank you for your elaborate article. Since you write off-beat in your blog headline, I will tell you why I am interested in Adelina Patti. - In 1929 Rachel Field (yes, the one with All this and Heaven too) wrote an award winning children's book "Hitty - her first hundred years". The book is about a small hand carved wooden doll, Mehitabel, Hitty for short, and her vast experiences during a 100 year period. Hitty does meet Adelina Patti, yes indeed, as the little girl to whom she belongs, attends a concert. - BUT the interesting thing, which I found out only a few days ago, is, that there are many variations to the old german china dolls - one of the variations from 1870ies is called "Adelina Patti" style, referring to the hair-do, AND the original Hitty (Field's Hitty now in Stockbridge Library)has this hair-do. Now, either Field knew this, or the carver knew this and had seen a similar china doll.
    Anyway, I thought you would think it fun to know - also, in the painting with the white dress it is very easy to see and compare).
    Best wishes, Anita in Denmark, member of a vast Hitty community online.

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    1. Hello Anita, What an interesting branch of Adelina Patti lore your have introduced me too. If I get to Stockbridge I will definitely check out the original Hitty doll. It's home there reminds me of how the original Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals are in the New York Public Library, donated by the author.

      I have come across 19th century fiction which mentioned Patti, but it is interesting to see her reputation still intact in 1929 so that she was included in a children's book.

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  11. http://www.flickr.com/groups/1555575@N25/pool/with/8643378793/#photo_8643378793

    I love this. I have a whole group devoted to painted tins if you are ever on Flickr. I have never seen a celebrity tintype like this before.

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    1. Thanks for telling us about this. I just checked out the link, and there is a great group of painted tintypes on display, which will give people a good idea of what these were about.

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  12. This was a fascinating read. Firstly, I've never heard of Adelina Patti, but her face looks so familiar (perhaps I've seen some of the advertisements where her face was featured). Secondly, I've never seen a painted tintype. It is beautiful and I'm so happy you have it in your collection. I do hope you find a suitable frame for it. Would the mat have been verre églomisé?

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  13. Hello CD, With all of your interests, you must have seen Patti's picture before without realizing it. The few images here don't even scratch the surface of what is out there. I certainly would not be averse to a verre eglomise mat if I could find a nice one, but one can't be sure what was used originally; this portrait is such an odd mix of folk-art and refinement.

    By the way, if you are a fan of verre eglomise, you know that it was a favorite material in Chinese art. In my living room I have a small Chinese cabinet with verre eglomise doors, which I couldn't resist, although I worry that the doors will break if I ship it back to the States one day.

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    1. Hello Jim,

      The last time I was at the Portobello Road antiques market in London, in one of the basement level stalls, there was a dealer that specialized in making verre églomisé mats to clients specifications. I wish I'd noted the name as I could see such a service becoming handy if such a thing was needed.

      Your cabinet sounds quite lovely (and delicate). I too would be worried about shipping it around the world, but I'm sure lots of bubble wrap and tape around each door may help in its safe journey.

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    2. Hi again CD, It's good to know that this skill is still practiced, although I tend to favor antique. Now that you have put the idea into my head, I can imagine several custom formats. The problem with putting a mat over this photo is that a lot of the painted detail and color would be lost. A clear glass mat with an engraved oval to indicate the original exposed area might be interesting.

      About the shipping, I am not looking forward to that, as I tend to be unlucky about those things!

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I would love to know what you think. Please feel free to comment--no tricky security words required! Any difficulties or questions, email at: clavicytherium@yahoo.com