Untitled (Portrait of David and Christianna Palmer with daughters Sophia Magdalena, Christianna, and Regina A. Frederick)
Medium
Daguerreotype
Dimensions
17 × 15.8 cm (6 3/4 × 6 1/4 in.); Open case: 18.3 × 34 × 1.3 cm (7 1/4 × 13 7/16 × 9/16 in.); Case: 18.3 × 17 × 2.1 cm (7 1/4 × 6 3/4 × 7/8 in.); Plate: 17.2 × 15.8 cm (6 3/4 × 6 3/16 in.)
Classification
portrait
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
250007
Art Historical Context
In 1847, pioneering photographer William Langenheim this intimate *Untitled (Portrait of David and Christian Palmer with daughters Sophia Magdalena Christianna, and Regina. Frederick)* using the daguerreotype process, one of the earliest photographic techniques invented just eight years prior by Louis Daguerre. Produced on a silvered copper plate measuring about 6¾ × 6¼ inches, this-plate image reflects the cutting-edge technology of its time. Housed in an ornate case typical of the era, it exemplifies how daguerreotypes—unique, non-reproducible positives with a shimmering, mirror-like quality...