Fred Thompson Hand Colored Photograph Maine Ocean Rock

Fred Thompson hand colored photograph featuring Ocean waves crashing on rocks.  This work is undated, but estimated to be circa 1900.  The image measures approximately 7 inches by 2 1/2 inches. Due to the proximity of the Fred Thompson studio in Maine, it is likely this work is of the Maine coast.  The work is generally Good to Very Good except for a very small tear as pictured.  The tear is minor on the work and carries over to the mounting material.  The work is framed and stamped "Fred Thompson."  This is a NO RESERVE auction.

Below is an outstanding article about Fred Thompson (father and son).  It was produced by Michael Ivanckovich, who is among the finest auctioneers and authorities on the subject of hand colored photography.

Since we have already written a fair amount about Fred Thompson in two of our published books, we'll provide you with just a brief recap here, but we should remind you that there were actually two "Fred Thompsons".  Frederick H. Thompson (1844-1909), the father, started the Thompson Art Co, or “TACO” as it was also known, around 1905. After leaving the carriage business due to increasing competition from the rapidly evolving auto industry, Thompson became interested in photography. He briefly ran a lunch room while learning the business as an amateur photographer, and then subsequently open a full time photography studio after selling the lunch room. His business soon flourished and as it grew, Fred Thompson bought out a series of his earliest competitors including the Owen Perry Co., the Lyman Nelson Co., and the Lamson Studios, all of Portland ME.

   Thompson’s primary business seems to have been catering to to Maine souvenir trade. Pretty much any tourist visiting southern Maine wanted to take home a momento of their vacation and Fred Thompson pictures seemed to be the perfect gift. Whether coastline light houses, sailing schooners, or seascape scenes...or inland lake, mountain, stream, or country road scenes...Fred Thompson pictures appealed to most Maine tourists. His series of Fred Thompson “Oddities” appealed not only to the tourists market but the gift market as well. Small mirrors, pin trays, calendars, triptychs, miniatures, and shopping lists...all featuring a Fred Thompson hand-colored picture...were all good sellers.

   Like most other photographers of the era, Fred Thompson followed the lead of Wallace Nutting. Most of his pictures  included a hand-colored photograph, mounted upon a linen-texture mat having a platemark indentation, titled lower left beneath the picture, and signed "Fred Thompson" lower right in a very distinct block letter pencil signature. As a matter of fact, as his business grew Thompson even consulted with Wallace Nutting at Nutting’s home in a friendly collaboration on photographic techniques.

   Fred Thompson sold primarily Exterior scenes, but also sold a nice variety of Colonial Interior scenes as well. Based upon our experience we estimate that the Thompson Art Co. ranked 4th in total output of hand-colored photography during the early 20th c, behind only Wallace Nutting, David Davidson, and Charles Sawyer.

   With his business just beginning to flourish at the beginning of the golden age of hand-colored photography, Frederick H. Thompson died suddenly in 1909 after ingesting cyanide.

   Frederick M. Thompson (1876-1923), the son, took over the business upon his father's death. And frankly, it's very difficult to differentiate the earlier pictures sold by the father from the later pictures sold by the son because the styles and signatures of both were so similar.

   Many of the same sailing schooner pictures that carried the Lamson name have also been found carrying the Fred Thompson name as well. Originally this was very confusing but, now in hindsight, it seems very logical. Since Fred Thompson had purchased the entire Lamson Studio, including its remaining inventory, glass plate negatives, and assorted other supplies and equipment, Thompson simply marketed the Lamson-shot sailing schooner pictures over his own signature. Whether Thompson shot any original schooner pictures himself, or whether he only used those images shot by Lamson, if unknown.  But Fred Thompson did indeed market a whole series of  Lamson sailing schooners over his own signature.

   The Thompson Art Co. closed its doors permanently in 1923 upon the death of Frederick M. Thompson.

Source: Michael Ivankovich (thegavel.net)