Portrait of a Man
c. 1850
Medium
daguerreotype with applied color
Dimensions
image (visible): 7.1 × 5.9 cm (2 13/16 × 2 5/16 in.) mat: 8.2 × 7 cm (3 1/4 × 2 3/4 in.) case (closed): 9.3 × 8 × 2 cm (3 11/16 × 3 1/8 × 13/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ross J. Kelbaugh Collection, Purchased with support from the Ford Foundation
Accession Number
2023.39.12
Art Historical Context
Step into the dawn of photography with *Portrait of a Man* Glenalvin Goodridge created around 1850. This intimate daguerreotype, measuring just 7.1 × 5.9 cm, captures the solemn gaze of its unidentified subject in exquisite detail.oused in a compact case ideal for a pocket or locket, it exemplifies the personal treasures of the era, now preserved in the National Gallery of's Ross J. Kelbaugh. Daguerreotypes like this one, the first publicly available photographic process invented in 1839, produced one-of-a-kind positive images on silvered copper plates. Goodridge enhanced his with applied col...