Untitled (Portrait of a Seated Woman)
1880
Medium
Tintype
Dimensions
9.5 × 6.3 cm (3 3/4 × 2 1/2 in.); Card: 11 × 8.5 cm (4 3/8 × 3 3/8 in.); Plate: 10.2 × 7.7 cm (4 × 3 in.)
Classification
portrait
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
250240
Art Historical Context
This intimate *Untitled (Portrait of a Se Woman)*, captured in 1880, exemplifies the tintype process—a hallmark of 19th-century photography. Tintypes, produced on thin sheets of iron coated with collodion and silver halides, created direct positive images without the need for glass plates or negatives. Affordable and portable, they were favored by itinerant photographers at fairs, studios, and streetsides, making professional portraits accessible to everyday people for the first time. Seated formally against a plain backdrop, the unnamed woman gazes directly at the viewer, her attire and pose...
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...