[Samuel Cousins]
![[Samuel Cousins] by John and Charles Watkins](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/met/ph/thumb/samuel-cousins-685508.webp)
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
Approx. 10.2 x 6.3 cm (4 x 2 1/2 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Albert Ten Eyck Gardner Collection, Gift of the Centennial Committee, 1970
Accession Number
1970.659.166
Tags
Art Historical Context
This intimate albumen silver print from the 1860s a profile portrait of Samuel Cousins, renowned British engraver known for his masterful mezzotint reproductions of paintings by artists like Reynolds and Lawrence. Photographed by the Watkins brothers—John and Charles, prominent London studio photographers who served Queen Victoria—this small carte-de-visite format (approximately 4 x 2½ inches) exemplifies the era's booming portrait photography trend. These pocket-sized images, mounted on card stock, became collectible souvenirs exchanged among friends and celebrities, revolutionizing personal ...
About the Artist
John and Charles Watkins · 1840–1875
**John and Charles Watkins: Pioneers of Victorian Portrait Photography** John Watkins (1823–1874) and his younger brother Octavius Charles Watkins (1836–1882) were prominent British portrait photographers whose collaborative studio captured the luminaries of Victorian Britain.) Born in Raglan, Monmouthshire, Wales, John began his career around 1840, establishing a studio at 34 Parliament Street i...