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Signature of Kuhn & Cummins |
Watercolors from Kuhn & Cummins
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Signature of Kuhn & Cummins |
The images on this and the linked pages violate
the first rule of
"Baltimore City Nineteenth-Century Photos" ...
that is they
do not have identified subjects. BUT ... they are
such great images
that I had to publish them for all to see!
Marianne Murdock found two watercolor images in
an antiques mall.
The image above is a hand painted watercolor measuring
about 8.25 by 10.75 inches
with the oval portion measuring about 9 by 7. In
the lower left hand corner
is the pencil signature, "Kuhn & Cummins."
Frank Kuhn and James Cummins were Baltimore City
photographers who
between 1874 and 1880 maintained a joint studio
on Charles Street. Before
and after this time frame, they were in business
with other partners in other locations.
The 1886 publication, "Half Century's Progress
of the City of Baltimore" had this to
say about James S. Cummins:
"James S. Cummins, Photographic Studio, no. 5 North
Charles Street ... The achievments of the leading
artists of the present day are subjects of admiration
and comment from an appreciative audience. The
name
Cummins will in this connection be inseparably
identified with a large measure of success in Baltimore
as the leading artist
photographer in the city. The
reception rooms, parlors and studio are elegant,
spacious and attractive and are embellished with
many
fine works of art from the camera, brush or pencil
of
Mr. Cummins. The excellence of these pictures and
their
fidelity to every detail, and the true conception
of the
artist's mission, place Mr Cummins in the front
rank of
the profession. ...Mr Cummins produces all kinds
of
work, from the carte de visite to the imperial
cabinet.
He makes a speciality of life-size portraits in
crayon,
oil, pastel, and India ink and his
water-color
miniatures are the finest
that can be executed ..."