Double Portrait Frame
A double portrait frame holds two likenesses side by side, uniting companions, couples or family members within a single boundary.
Materials and Construction
Metals such as sterling silver, brass, and ormolu undergo casting and stamping to form hinged photograph mounts, often backed with velvet or wood. Silver items frequently carry hallmarks denoting exact years of manufacture, while brass and ormolu display cast decorative borders.
Canvases and panels employ oil and watercolour media applied by hand, housed in stepped oak, giltwood, or carved wooden frames. Woodworkers constructed travel folding frames covered in crocodile leather alongside rigid domestic surrounds designed for wall hanging or desk easel support.
Assessing Quality
The standard of a double portrait frame rests upon the crispness of its cast metal ornamentation, the depth of wood carving, and the integrity of any hinges and closures. Superior metalwork exhibits sharp relief without smoothing from excessive polishing, while finer paintings show confident brushwork and well-preserved pigments.
Original backing materials, intact glass panes, and maker marks or signatures elevate specific items. The harmony between the twin portraits or aperture openings dictates the visual success of the piece, distinguishing master-level works from standard production.
Hardy Brothers·Kershaw Schofield·Sir Peter Lely·Robert Williams
The Double Portrait Frame Glossary
- Ormolu
- Gilded bronze or brass applied to decorative objects and frames. This technique was common in nineteenth-century French metalwork.
- Silhouetters
- Artists who cut or painted profiles in black ink and paper. These monochrome likenesses often appeared paired in early nineteenth-century frames.
- Mezzotint
- A printmaking process of the intaglio family where tonal gradations are achieved by roughening a copper plate. It produced rich portraits in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
- Giltwood
- Wood that has been coated with gold leaf or thin gold paint. It frequently borders oil paintings and grand frames from the Georgian and Victorian eras.
Double Portrait Frame: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I display a double portrait frame?
Many metal and leather examples feature built-in easels for desk placement, while wooden and oil painting variants typically hang securely on walls. Position them away from direct sunlight to protect vulnerable materials like paper, watercolour, and velvet.
Ensure hinged travel frames remain stable when opened to prevent strain on the central joints. Proper placement highlights the paired relationship of the subjects within.
What periods do these pieces span?
The selection includes items from the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries. Victorian and Edwardian examples frequently take the form of metal photograph holders, while earlier periods are represented by oil paintings and prints.
Stylistic shifts reflect changing domestic tastes, moving from grand baroque canvases to intimate desk accessories.
How are silver photo frames dated?
British silver items commonly bear official hallmarks stamped directly into the metal. These assay marks reveal the town of origin, the fineness of the silver, and a specific date letter corresponding to the year of manufacture.
Matching these letters with established assay office records provides precise dating for Victorian and Edwardian pieces.
Can I replace the glass in an antique frame?
Replacing glass is possible, though original blown or drawn glass should be preserved whenever feasible. Original panes often display subtle imperfections and waviness characteristic of older manufacturing methods.
Consult a professional restorer if the backing or retention pins require adjustment to avoid damaging the surrounding frame structure.