[Samuel Palmer]

Art Historical Context

This albumen silver print from the 1860s, created by the photographic firm of John and Charles Watkins, offers a formal portrait of Samuel Palmer. The small scale of the image, roughly the size of a modern postcard, was typical of the period and suggests it may have served as a personal memento or collectible likeness. Albumen prints were the most common photographic process of their day, prized for producing fine detail and a rich tonal range on paper. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Photographs, the work reflects the growing importance of photography in the Victoria...

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...