Portrait of a Woman
Medium
daguerreotype
Dimensions
image (visible): 6.7 × 5.4 cm (2 5/8 × 2 1/8 in.) mat: 8.1 × 6.9 cm (3 3/16 × 2 11/16 in.) case (closed): 9.5 × 8.2 × 2.1 cm (3 3/4 × 3 1/4 × 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
2023.39.243
Art Historical Context
This intimate *Portrait of a Woman*, created by an anonymous American photographer in the 1850s, exemplifies the daguerreotype—a pioneering photographic process that revolutionized portraiture shortly after its invention in 1839. Housed in a protective case measuring just 9.5 × 8.2 × 2.1 cm when closed, this gem (visible image: 6.7 5.4 cm) was likely a cherished personal keeps, affordable to the emerging middle class and far more precise than painted miniatures. Daguerreotypes made on polished silver plates sensitized with chemicals and exposed in a camera obscura, produced uniquely detailed,...
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 ...