Untitled (Portrait of a Man)
1854
Medium
Daguerreotype
Dimensions
10.8 × 8.2 cm (4 5/16 × 3 1/4 in.); Open case: 12 × 18.6 × 1 cm (4 3/4 × 7 3/8 × 7/16 in.); Case: 12 × 9.3 × 1.9 cm (4 3/4 × 3 11/16 × 3/4 in.); Plate: 10.8 × 8.3 cm (4 1/4 × 3 1/4 in.)
Classification
portrait
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
249904
Art Historical Context
Step into the dawn of photography with *Untitled (Portrait of a)*, a captivating daguerreotype from 4 created by an unknown maker. This intimate portrait, housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Photography Media department, captures a solemn male subject in exquisite detail on a small silvered copper plate measuring just 10.8 × 8.3 cm. Encased for protection in a compact leather or thermoplastic holder—typical of the era—this diminutive treasure (open case: 12 × 18.6 × 1 cm) invites visitors to peer closely, as if meeting a figure from mid-19th-century life. Daguerreotypes, invented by Loui...