Untitled
1855/75
Medium
Ambrotype
Dimensions
Plate: 8.3 × 7 cm (3 5/16 × 2 13/16 in.); Case: 9.4 × 8.3 × 1.8 cm (3 3/4 × 3 5/16 × 3/4 in.)
Classification
daguerreotype
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
61071
Art Historical Context
Step into the captivating world of mid-19th-century photography this *Untitled* ambrotype, created between 1855 and 1875 by an unknown artist Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's of Photography and Media, petite treasure measures just 8.3 × 7 cm on its glass plate, encased in a compact 9.4 × 8.3 × 1.8 cm frame—perfectly sized for personal keepsakes like lockets or wallets. Though classified among early daguerreotypes, its ambrotype medium represents a pivotal evolution in photographic history. Ambrotypes, pioneered in the 1850s, used the wet collodion process: a glass plate coated with li...
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...