Rembrandt
1865
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
23.5 × 19.6 cm (9 1/4 × 7 11/16 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Purchase, Cynthia Hazen Polsky Gift, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.583 (136a)
Art Historical Context
John Thomson's *Rembrandt* (1865) is a striking albumen silver print made from a glass negative, 23.5 × 19.6 cm. during the mid-19th century, photography was rapidly evolving from a scientific novelty into an artistic medium, this work exemplifies Thomson's early mastery. The Scottish photographer, later renowned for his documentary images of Asia, created this piece at a pivotal moment in his career, showcasing the intimate scale typical of carte-de-visite-sized portraits. The albumen process—coating paper with egg whites and silver salts—yielded the warm, rich tones and fine detail that def...
About the Artist
John Thomson · 1837–1921
John Thomson (1837–1921), a pioneering Scottish photographer, was born on 14 June 1837 in Edinburgh as the eighth of nine children to William Thomson, a tobacco spinner and trader, and Isabella Newlands.) After schooling in the early 1850s, he apprenticed with a local optical and scientific instrument manufacturer, where he mastered the principles of photography, completing his training around 185...