[Plasterer in Oilskin Hat]
1850s–60s
![[Plasterer in Oilskin Hat] by Unknown](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/met/ph/thumb/plasterer-in-oilskin-hat-291939.webp)
Medium
Ambrotype with applied color
Dimensions
Image: 11.7 x 8.8 cm (4 5/8 x 3 7/16 in.) Plate: 14 x 10.8 cm (5 1/2 x 4 1/4 in.) Case: 2.4 x 15.1 x 12.1 cm (15/16 x 5 15/16 x 4 3/4 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008
Accession Number
2015.400.100
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the mid-19th century with *[Plasterer in Oil Hat]*, a captivating ambrotype portrait from the1850s–60s, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Photographs collection. This small yet striking image (11.7 x 8.8 cm) captures an unnamed working man—a plasterer—gazing steadily at the camera, his distinctive oilskin hat shielding him from the elements. The waterproof fabric of the hat, practical for laborers in construction or building trades, hints at the daily grit of 19th-century manual work. Ambrotypes, produced via the wet-collodion process on glass plates, were a popular and af...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...