Getting back to my archival photography roots this week, reproducing portraits for Sylvia Brown. Sylvia is the author of Grappling with Legacy, which examines the Brown family of Providence, their role in the slave trade and their 300 year old tradition of philanthropy, beginning with donations that helped to found The College of Rhode Island, which later became Brown University. These are portraits of Thomas Poynton Ives (top), who married Hope Brown (second), daughter of Nicholas of Providence, and John Carter Brown (bottom). These were photographed in-situ in natural light to reduce reflections on the oil paint’s texture, and several exposures were stitched together to capture frame and portrait in sharp focus.
