A quintessential American story: two working-class Boston photographers, Thomas E. Marr (1849-1910), and his son, Arthur (1877-1954), are the subjects of this detailed and absorbing monograph. A young man rises from immigrant beginnings to gain patronage from some of the most successful individuals of the Gilded Age and early 1900s, including a wealthy, influential, sophisticated, and astute woman—Isabella Stewart Gardner. The Marrs’ aesthetic and commercial relationship with Gardner and her museum benefited both parties for many years and brought widespread recognition to the Marr firm. It is also the story of a father and son who together built a wide-ranging photographic legacy—largely unknown today. While the firm outlived the father by three decades, it left the son’s life tinged by tragedy. Beautifully illustrated with many Marr photographs, this monograph presents the first in-depth look at the Marrs' lives, their careers, and their photographic techniques, along with detailed references and tables for locating, identifying, and dating their work.By Ron Polito 122 pagesPublished by the Photographic Historical Society of New England, 2021Paperback8.25 x 10.75 inches
