Family group (Four unknown sitters)
- Artist: Unknown photographer
- Date: 1870
- Medium: ferrotype (tintype)
- Dimensions: 3 1/4 in. x 2 1/2 in. (81 mm x 64 mm) overall
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
Here is “Family group (Four unknown sitters)” – a small ferrotype (tintype) from the 1870s. The silver plate, just over three inches long and two‑and‑a‑quarter inches tall, shows four figures standing in the surf. Their jackets, hats, and boots suggest everyday working‑class attire of that time. Notice their stiff postures; they pose as if a studio session had taken place even though the camera roved along the beach. In the 1870s trains brought families to the coast and itinerant photographers offered quick tintype portraits. This little image captures that moment when a working‑class family could be photographed on holiday.
See it in person
Family group (Four unknown sitters) is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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