Untitled (Portrait of a Seated Man in Profile)
1845
Medium
Daguerreotype
Dimensions
8.1 × 6.9 cm (3 1/4 × 2 3/4 in.); Open case: 9.2 × 16 × 1 cm (3 5/8 × 6 5/16 × 7/16 in.); Case: 9.2 × 8 × 1.6 cm (3 5/8 × 3 3/16 × 11/16 in.); Plate: 8.3 × 7 cm (3 1/4 × 2 3/4 in.)
Classification
portrait
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
249902
Art Historical Context
This delicate daguerreotype from 1845 captures a seated man in profile, offering a rare glimpse into the days of photography. Created just six years after Louis Dag introduced his groundbreaking process, image exemplifies how the new medium quickly transformed portrait. Unlike painted miniatures required hours or days daguerreotypes produced remarkably likenesses in minutes, making portraits accessible to a broader public for the first time. The work’s small scale—just over three inches tall—and protective case highlight its intimate purpose, likely intended as a cherished keepsake carried cl...