Untitled (Erastus Hopkins, Free Soiler)
Medium
Daguerreotype
Dimensions
21.3 × 16.3 cm (8 7/16 × 6 7/16 in.); Frame: 30.5 × 25.3 × 0.8 cm (12 1/16 × 10 × 3/8 in.); Plate: 21.6 × 16.6 cm (8 1/2 × 6 1/2 in.)
Classification
portrait
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
249876
Art Historical Context
This striking daguerreotype portrait, created in 1852 by the Boston firm Southworth & Hawes, captures Erastus Hopkins, a prominent advocate for the Free Soil movement. The image exemplifies the studio’s renowned approach to early photography, emphasizing clarity, dignified pose, and subtle tonal gradations that bring the sitter’s presence vividly to life. As one of the first practical photographic processes, the daguerreotype offered unprecedented detail and immediacy, transforming how individuals could be documented and remembered. The medium’s significance lies in its technical demands and ...