Currently not on view
Fading Away,
1858, printed ca. 1880
Henry Peach Robinson, 1830–1901; born Ludlow, England; died Tunbridge Wells, England
x1984-1
In the history of photography, Robinson has become synonymous with the combination print. Combination prints, also called composite photographs, were made by printing a number of separate negatives on a single sheet to create one cohesive composition. As the owner of a photography studio, Robinson hoped these prints would both elevate photography to the status of painting and make a profit. Fading Away was controversial both because its subject was a dying girl and because it was created using five different negatives. Nonetheless, its success saved the artist’s failing business. The photograph is characteristic of Robinson’s other combination prints, many of which were allegorical or sentimental narratives.
Information
Title
Fading Away
Dates
1858, printed ca. 1880
Maker
Medium
Albumen print
Dimensions
14.5 x 22.3 cm. (5 11/16 x 8 3/4 in.)
mount: 18 x 23.8 cm. (7 1/16 x 9 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, gift of Robert Venturi, Class of 1947 and Graduate School Class of 1950
Object Number
x1984-1
Place Made
Europe, England, Warwickshire
Culture
Techniques
- "Acquisitions of the Art Museum 1984," Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 44, no. 1 (1985): p. 24-52., p. 34
- Ellen Handy, "Pictorial Effect/Naturalistic Vision: The Photographs and Theories of Henry Peach Robinson and Peter Henry Emerson" (Norfolk: Chrysler Museum, 1994)., not illustrated
