Untitled
1839/99
Medium
Ambrotype
Dimensions
Plate: 6.4 × 5.1 cm (2 9/16 × 2 1/16 in.); Case: 8 × 6.8 × 2.1 cm (3 3/16 × 2 11/16 × 7/8 in.)
Classification
ambrotype
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
150481
Art Historical Context
This untitled ambrotype from the Art Institute of Chicago captures the intimate scale of mid-19th-century photography Measuring just 6.4 × 5.1 cm on its glass plate and housed in a protective case of 8 × 6.8 × 2.1 cm, it exemplifies the compact, personal format prized by families and collectors during photography's formative years (ca. 1839–1899). Ambrotypes, introduced around 1854, marked a pivotal advancement in the wet-collodion process. Unlike earlier daguerreotypes, which required mercury vapors and produced fragile silvered plates, ambrotypes created a one-of-a-kind positive image by un...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...