Gray Wolf
Medium
albumen print (carte-de-visite)
Dimensions
image/sheet: 9.3 × 5.4 cm (3 11/16 × 2 1/8 in.) mount: 10 × 6.2 cm (3 15/16 × 2 7/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Robert B. Menschel Fund
Accession Number
2021.122.14
Art Historical Context
**Gray Wolf** (1860s) by William Gunnison Chamberlain captures a striking portrait in the diminutive carte-de-visite format, a hallmark of mid-19th-century photography. This albumen print, measuring just 9.3 × 5.4 cm on its sheet, exemplifies the era's innovative technique: egg whites coated on paper sensitized with silver salts produced richly toned, detailed images prized for their clarity and warmth. Carte-de-visites, like pocket-sized calling cards, exploded in popularity during the 1860s, making photography affordable and collectible for the masses—from royalty to everyday folk. Chamberl...