Portrait of Four Children
c. 1860
Medium
daguerreotype with applied color
Dimensions
image (visible): 9 × 6.5 cm (3 9/16 × 2 9/16 in.) mat: 10.6 × 7.9 cm (4 3/16 × 3 1/8 in.) case (closed): 11.9 × 9.5 × 2 cm (4 11/16 × 3 3/4 × 13/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
The Ross J. Kelbaugh Collection
Accession Number
2023.146.7
Art Historical Context
Step into the intimate world of mid-19th-century photography *Portrait of Four Children* Henry Pollock, created around 1860. This diminutive daguerreotype, measuring just 9 × 6.5 cm, captures solemn gazes of four young siblings, their formal attire and composed poses evoking the cherished family portraits of the Victorian era. Housed in a protective case typical of the time, it served as a treasured keepsake, much like a locket worn close to the heart. Daguerreotypy, invented in 1839, produced exquisitely detailed, one-of-a-kind images on polished silvered copper plates—mirrors of reality tha...