Untitled (Brass Band)
1852
Medium
Daguerreotype
Dimensions
10.7 × 14 cm (4 1/4 × 5 9/16 in.); Open case: 15.1 × 24 × 1.2 cm (6 × 9 1/2 × 1/2 in.); Case: 15.1 × 12 × 2 cm (6 × 4 3/4 × 13/16 in.); Plate: 10.8 × 14 cm (4 1/4 × 5 1/2 in.)
Classification
portrait
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
250090
Art Historical Context
This striking daguerreotype, created in 1852, captures a brass band in a formal group portrait. As one of the earliest photographic processes, the daguerreotype offered remarkable detail and clarity on a polished silver-plated copper sheet. Viewers in the mid-nineteenth century would have marveled at the lifelike rendering of the musicians’ instruments and uniforms, preserved within its original protective case. Photography was still a novel technology just over a decade after its public introduction, and this work exemplifies its rapid adoption for portraiture. Brass bands were a vibrant par...
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...