Color & Light: Early 20th Century Hand-Painted Photographs of Hearthside

“Color & Light” features more than 40 photographs of Hearthside taken between 1907-1912, along with numerous antique artifacts from the photographer’s studio, and set in the historic house where the photographs were actually taken.  The exhibit is an exciting blend of both history and art.

 The exhibit showcases two photographers from Rhode Island, nationally-renowned David Davidson, and Rufus Waterman.  Both of these talented photographers were influenced by Wallace Nutting, the leader of the hand-colored photography movement during the early 20th century in which black-and-white photographs were colorized with watercolor paints.  It was the beginning of “color photography.”

 Another unusual aspect of this exhibit is the inclusion of numerous artifacts that belonged to Davidson such as his box-style camera that was used to take the photographs, cases, greeting cards, actual table used in coloring the photographs, several photographs in various stages of being colored, the Davidson Studios sign that hung outside his Providence business, and the 150-year old shawl worn by Mrs. Davidson in his photographs taken at Hearthside.  Also shown are the Bronze Medal that Davidson received at the 1915 World’s Fair in San Francisco, as well as rare pictures he took of Siksika Indians on their reservation taken during his trip to Glacier National Park in 1914.

Color & Light was first exhibited in 2012, and as a result, was recognized with a national award from the American Association for State and Local History and was featured in the Sept/Oct 2012 issue of the National Endowment for the Humanities Magazine.

 Costumed interpreters provide information to visitors during tours through the house and exhibit.