Untitled (Portrait of a Woman)
1853
Medium
Daguerreotype
Dimensions
10.7 × 8.3 cm (4 1/4 × 3 5/16 in.); Open case: 11.9 × 18.6 × 1.2 cm (4 11/16 × 7 3/8 × 1/2 in.); Case: 11.9 × 9.3 × 2 cm (4 11/16 × 3 11/16 × 13/16 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
249931
Art Historical Context
Step into the dawn of photography with *Untitled (Portrait of a)*, a poignant daguerreotype from 1853 crafted by an unknown maker. Captured on a tiny silver-plated copper plate measuring just 10.8 × 8.3 cm, this one-of-a-kind image—housed in a protective thermoplastic case—presents a dignified woman whose steady gaze speaks across time. Daguerreotypes like this were mirror-like positives, requiring exposures of up to several minutes under bright light, demanding remarkable patience from sitters. Invented by Louis Daguerre in 1839 and popularized in the 1840s and 1850s, this medium revolutioni...