‘Heart in Hand,’ Victorian Photo Manipulation (1896)
Photography has brought out the ‘artiste’ in many a creative sort, and the Littleton View Company in Littleton, New Hampshire were no different. Victorian ‘creative’ photographs span a spectrum from post-mortem images that try to make the deceased look alive (often the only photograph of the person their family will ever have), to looking headless to capturing ‘spirits’ in an image. Understanding the artistic frontiers photography allowed them, photographers used special effects to create a curated photo, a sort of early form of filter. This might include using two negatives to manipulate an image and create a single photo print, a technique seen here. Littleton View Company staff superimposed a woman’s portrait into a man’s palm. This loving memento offers insight into the interesting – if not a little strange – side of Victorian special effects photography.