Untitled (Dog)
1850/99
Medium
Tintype
Dimensions
Image/plate: 12.5 × 17.7 cm (4 15/16 × 7 in.)
Classification
tintype
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
139853
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The advent of photography enabled people of all classes to afford pictures of family and loved ones for the first time. The daguerreotype, the first commercial photographic process, became known as the “democratic art,” replacing large-scale portrait oils and painted miniatures. Even more affordable than the daguerreotype was the tintype, a relatively quick process patented in 1856 and especially widespread from the American Civil War through the 1930s. The tintype was taken up by itinerant port...
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...