Before the invention of photography, portraiture was largely an art for society’s upper class, members of which could afford to pay an artist to paint their portrait. Beginning in 1839, the photograph made portraiture affordable for the middle class. Although inexpensive, early photographs were less durable than paintings. Their fragility spurred experiments and innovations in the medium. One process involved the art of firing photographic images on enameled and glazed surfaces. Enamel photography became less popular as the quality of photographic processes and papers improved, but it never disappeared. Today a few companies in the U.S. produce enamel photographs, primarily as memorials on cemetery monuments.

The J.A. Dedouch Company, established in 1893, is one of them. Traditionally, the customer supplied the company with a photograph. Through chemical processes, the photographic images was transferred to a ceramic surface, resulting in a black or sepia base color. Colorists then hand-applied color to produce a portrait that looked like a painting. Finally, the ceramic surface was enameled and fired.

The Society is fortunate to have the two miniature enamel photographs shown here, thought their subjects are unknown. When contacted about the identity of the couple, the manufacturer was unable to help because it does not archive work orders. The identity of the couple is not, however, a complete mystery. Clues include their pose—they face each other—which indicates the pair were probably married. Additionally, the photographs have similar characteristics in both the color and treatment of the background, and their frames are identical. The couple’s clothing dates the portraits to c. 1915. When unframed, the words "Haviland Dedou" appear on the front lower section of the portrait of the woman. Historically, names written on the front of photographs referred to the photographer, not the subject. State census records from 1900 to 1920 indicate that there were several Havilands living in Colorado, including Charles Frederick Haviland—the china maker—and some of this descendants. Unfortunately, neither the Colorado Historical Society nor the Denver Public Library has records of photographers or owners of photo studios listed under Haviland.

Do you recognize this couple or know of photographers or owners of photo studios named Haviland? If so, please contact Sandra Vasconesz at svascone@du.edu.

By Sandra Vasconesz, Decorative and Fine Arts graduate research intern