7 5/8 x 4 1/2 in. albumen photograph on 7 3/4 x 4 7/8 in. mount. Mount recto stamped "Louis C. Tiffany" and ink inscribed "Premium Squashes - Fair 1886 S.B."

Depicted are a number of large squashes, likely entries in a state or county fair contest, displayed in a row on the ground before two wooden structures including an open-air shelter and a tall building with windows. Men, women, and children pose on and around the vegetables.

Louis Comfort Tiffany, who eventually became world-famous for his decorative designs including his renowned leaded-glass windows and lamps, first trained in painting and even dabbled in the relatively new medium of photography, producing a number of prints in his own dark rooms in the late 19th century. Based on what remains of his work, it appears he used photography both as a practical tool to aid his other artistic endeavors, and perhaps as an art form in and of itself. The subjects in his known photographs range from landscapes to people and objects, including several scenes in Sea Bright, NJ. A collection of his photographs are curated by the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, Florida.