Portrait of a Man
c. 1850
Medium
daguerreotype with applied color
Dimensions
image (visible): 9.4 × 6.7 cm (3 11/16 × 2 5/8 in.) mat: 10.8 × 8.2 cm (4 1/4 × 3 1/4 in.) case (closed): 12 × 9.5 × 1.8 cm (4 3/4 × 3 3/4 × 11/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund
Accession Number
2017.3.2
Art Historical Context
Step into the dawn of photography with *Portrait of a Man*, captivating daguerreotype from around 1850, created by an anonymous American photographer. Dating to the medium's exciting early years—just a decade after Louis Daguerre's 1839 invention—this small, precious image (measuring just 9.4 × 6.7 cm) captures stern gaze of its unidentified subject against a neutral backdrop. Housed in a protective case typical of the era, it now graces the National Gallery of Art, thanks to the Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund. What makes this portrait shine is its pioneering technique: a daguerreotyp...
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 ...