A hand-tinted stereoview depicting a group of children posed as adults at a formal ball within an ornately decorated parlour, complete with patterned wallpaper, a lit chandelier, and upholstered furniture. Several pairs are arranged as if dancing or conversing, the boys dressed in miniature suits and the girls in wide crinoline gowns, while two younger children stand apart from the dancing couples in the foreground. The scene appears staged in a studio setting made to resemble a domestic interior, with applied color used to accentuate the costumes and carpet.
The theatrical staging, applied hand-coloring, and arched stereo card format are consistent with commercial genre stereoviews produced in France in the early 1860s, a period in which studios frequently issued sentimental tableaux featuring costumed children for the domestic stereoscope market.
Photographer/publisher: Unknown
Period/date: circa 1860
Dimensions: 175 x 85 mm
Condition: Good; hand-applied color shows bleeding and staining, particularly across the carpet area, moderate surface soiling and toning to the mount, light corner wear, and minor foxing consistent with age. The image remains stable and clearly legible.
Reverse: No verso scan available.
Keywords: France, genre scene, hand-colored stereoview, children, Victorian costume
Photographer Biography:
No verified biographical information available.
Shipping Information: Shipping (worldwide): EUR 12 (registered). Shipping to the USA at risk of the buyer.