Name/Title
Print, PhotographicEntry/Object ID
2005.54.1Description
Framed and autographed print of Fred Tuttle by Peter Miller. Photograph of Fred Herman Tuttle (1919-2003) holding a framed photo of his father Joe Tuttle (1897-1994) holding a framed photograph of his father Fred Tuttle (1857-1916). Signed "Fred"Artwork Details
Medium
Photographic PaperSubject Person
Tuttle, Frederick Herman (1919-2003)Context
Fred Tuttle became famous through his appearance in the film, "Man With a Plan." In 1998, in what started as a marketing stunt, Fred ran against a political "import" in the Republican senatorial primary. He ended up winning the primary and appeared on the ballot against Democrat Patrick Leahy. This portrait of Fred with his father and grandfather appeared in Peter Miller's first book of photography, "Vermont People." This signed print was issued in 1998 during the senate primary campaign.
Peter Miller was born in New York in 1934 and moved to Vermont at age 13. He bought his first camera at 16 and started photographing his neighbors. He attended the University of Toronto and met photographer Yousuf Karsh. He ended up apprenticing to Karsh and traveling throughout Europe, taking photos of such luminaries as Albert Camus and Pablo Picasso.
He served as a signal corps photographer in the U.S. Army and when his enlistment was up, returned to Vermont as a freelance photographer for national publications. Though he made his living as a commercial photographer, he continued to document the people of his adopted home state.
In the 1980s he shopped the idea for a book of black and white photographs of Vermonters. All the publishing houses rejected the project as old-fashioned. He ended up self-publishing the book, "Vermont People," and sold over 15,000 copies. He followed it up with titles such as "Vermont Farm Women" and "A Lifetime of Vermont People." His last book, "Vanishing Vermonters: Loss of a Rural Culture" was published in 2017.
Miller's work, especially portraits of rural Vermonters, helped define an enduring image of Vermont people.Acquisition
Accession
2005.54Source or Donor
Paterson, JohnAcquisition Method
GiftCredit Line
In memory of Dr. William Sloane CoffinMade/Created
Artist
Miller, Peter (1934-2023)Date made
1998Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
Print, PhotographicNomenclature Primary Object Term
PhotographNomenclature Sub-Class
Graphic DocumentsNomenclature Class
Documentary ObjectsNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsDimensions
Height
17-3/4 inWidth
21-3/4 inRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Tuttle, Frederick Herman (1919-2003)