Seated Infant Before Painted Landscape Backdrop — Hittenlockher Studio Portrait

Photograph

-

The Recorded Image Project

Name/Title

Seated Infant Before Painted Landscape Backdrop — Hittenlockher Studio Portrait

Entry/Object ID

RE-PH-2026-0110

Description

Studio portrait of an infant seated on the floor before a painted landscape backdrop, wearing a long white dress.

Photograph Details

Type of Photograph

Gelatin Print - silver bromide

Category

baby, Late Victorian

Made/Created

Studio

Hittenlockher Studio

Date made

1904

Place

* Untyped Place

New York

Notes

Hittenlockher Studio operated a professional portrait studio in Brooklyn during a period when New York City was transitioning into modern photographic practices. Atlantic Avenue was a major commercial corridor serving diverse residential neighborhoods. Early twentieth-century Brooklyn studios increasingly used painted scenic backdrops and more relaxed posing styles reflecting changing aesthetic tastes. Such studios catered to immigrant and middle-class families documenting childhood milestones during a period of expanding photographic accessibility.

Ethnography

Notes

American; early 20th-century urban childhood portraiture reflecting evolving studio techniques and sentimental family documentation practices.

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Lower mount imprint reads: “Hittenlockher Studio” “258 Atlantic Ave.” “Brooklyn, N.Y.” Handwritten Inscription (Reverse) “Gertrude 3 yrs old 310 Glenmore Ave Brooklyn to Grandma Moore Martha Jane 1904”

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Date Examined

Mar 9, 2026

Notes

• Mount edge wear and corner losses • Moderate surface foxing • Contrast softening consistent with early gelatin prints • Handwritten inscription remains legible

General Notes

Note Type

Description

Note

This early twentieth-century studio portrait depicts a young child seated before a softly painted landscape backdrop, reflecting evolving photographic aesthetics that favored naturalistic poses and atmospheric settings. Produced by a Brooklyn studio, the image illustrates the transition from Victorian formality to more relaxed family portraiture. A handwritten inscription on the reverse identifies the child and date, underscoring the photograph’s role as a sentimental keepsake shared among relatives.

Create Date

March 10, 2026