(AUTOCHROMES) frank overton Group of 28 compelling autochromes, primarily studies of birds in trees and nests as well as flora and fauna, but also including family portraits (one featuring Overton himself) made by an enthusiastic amateur photographer. Autochromes, overall plate size 3 1/4x4 inches (8.3x10.2 cm.), images slightly smaller, and the reverse, each with the original tape casing, and each with a paper label with Overton's meticulously inscribed name, a description of the subject matter, the date (and often the time), a description of the light conditions, and the technical details of the image, in ink, attached at an edge. 1909-13
with--A group of 15 lantern slides, also including images of birds, nests, and family subjects, as well as a cute mouse being fed and a large nest, each measuring 3 1/4x4 inches (8.3x10.2 cm.), and the reverse, most still with their tape casing, and many with paper labels with Overton's inscribed name, description, and date, in ink, at an edge. 1909-15.
Also with 4 lantern slides with the American Museum of Natural History's name in the plate and labels, these depicting owls.
The autochromes in this lot depict blue jays, crabs, birds' nests, moths, yellow warblers, moss, dogwoods, and a turkey, among other bird and nature studies. Each image is both beautifully composed and scientifically-minded, made by an observer and a passionate believer in photography's elegance and contribution to the study of birds. Overton (and his colleague Francis Harper, who receives one co-credit in the group offered here) published a paper in The Auk, a periodical published by the American Ornithologists' Union, titled "Bird Photography by the Direct Color Process," in which he promotes the use of the autochrome as a meaningful way to both study and present information about birds in their natural habitats. Overton also presented at the Linnaean Society of New York. The autochromes here must have been used for these presentations. But, they also document Overton's own family, and include a tender image of the photographer himself with his son.
