Portrait of a Girl
Medium
tintype with applied color
Dimensions
image (visible): 21.3 × 16.5 cm (8 3/8 × 6 1/2 in.) mat: 29.2 × 24.2 cm (11 1/2 × 9 1/2 in.) framed: 40.2 × 35.5 × 8.9 cm (15 13/16 × 14 × 3 1/2 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mary and Dan Solomon
Accession Number
2018.177.217
Art Historical Context
This poignant *Portrait of a Girl*, by an anonymous American photographer in the 1860s, captures the innocence of youth through the intimate medium of tintype with applied color. Measuring about 8⅜ × 6½ inches in its visible image, this unique positive photograph was produced on a thin sheet of iron coated with collodion—a wet-plate process that required speedy exposure before the chemicals dried, making it ideal for portable studios during the Civil War era. ypes like this one revolutionized portraiture by making photography affordable and accessible to everyday Americans, far beyond the eli...
About the Artist
American 19th Century
The artist cataloged as "American, 19th Century" represents a collective of unidentified painters active in the United States during the nineteenth century, with 380 known artworks preserved in this virtual museum's collection. These works span a diverse array of genres typical of the era, including portraits, landscapes, still lifes, and genre scenes, reflecting the burgeoning artistic output of ...