[Sanford Thayer]

Art Historical Context

This albumen silver print from the 1860s captures Sanford Thayer in a refined profile view, a format that highlights the clean lines of his features against a simple background. Produced by photographer G. J. Wood, the small carte-de-visite-sized image (roughly 4 by 2½ inches) exemplifies the popular portrait format of the Civil War era, when photography became an accessible means of preserving likenesses for family, friends, and personal collections. Albumen prints, made by coating paper with egg-white emulsion and silver salts, offered sharp detail and rich tonal range that made them the do...