Eternal Images: Photographing Childhood


James Clark Burnham, Portland, 1848

James Clark Burnham, Portland, 1848
Item 18674   info
Maine Historical Society

Not all portraits of children were post-mortem reminders, however.

Parents of means often sought portraits of their children as decorative items that frequently reflected the family's social position.

Charles Octavious Cole (1817-1858) painted this portrait of James Clark Burnham (1843-1930), son of a leading Portland family.

The setting as well as the boy's clothing and posture all are signs of the family's wealth and status.

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