Untitled (Portrait of Seated Woman)
1853/1899
Medium
Tintype
Dimensions
Plate: 6.4 × 5.1 cm (2 9/16 × 2 1/16 in.); Case: 7.3 × 6 cm (2 7/8 × 2 3/8 in.)
Classification
photography
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
189261
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Art Institute of Chicago's and Media collection, *Untitled (Portrait of Se Woman)* captures an intimate moment from the mid-to-late 19th century (dated 1853/1899). This small tintype—measuring just 6.4 × 5.1 cm on its iron plate, housed in a compact 7.3 × 6 cm case—presents an anonymous woman seated with quiet dignity, her attire and pose evoking the everyday elegance of Victorian-era life. Tintypes, invented in the 1850s, photography by making portraits affordable and portable. Unlike fragile glass ambrotypes or costly daguerreotypes, this direct-positive process coated a thin...
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...