Untitled (Married Couple)
1852
Medium
Daguerreotype
Dimensions
Plate: 10.8 × 8.3 cm (4 5/16 × 3 5/16 in.); Case: 11.9 × 9.6 × 1.4 cm (4 11/16 × 3 13/16 × 9/16 in.)
Classification
daguerreotype
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
207451
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The daguerreotype was invented in France in 1839 but gained its longest-lived popularity in America, where it was prized for its faithful detail and affordability. In the 1850s especially, millions of daguerreotypes were made by "operators" who rapidly learned the technique—involving copper plates coated in silver, each producing a unique image—to fulfill burgeoning demand for portraits. The seated elderly couple shown here holds a note identifying their ages and the occasion for the image, thei...
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...