Untitled (The Coit Family)
1855/56
Medium
Daguerreotype
Dimensions
15 × 18.1 cm (5 15/16 × 7 3/16 in.); Open case: 19.6 × 33.2 × 1.4 cm (7 3/4 × 13 1/8 × 9/16 in.); Case: 19.6 × 16.6 × 2.2 cm (7 3/4 × 6 9/16 × 7/8 in.); Plate: 12.7 × 17.8 cm (5 × 7 in.)
Classification
portrait
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
250076
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Daguerreotypes—brilliant photographs on metal plates—memorialized families with the first widely affordable images. The technology was especially popular in the 1840s and 1850s, an era of higher mortality rates. Daguerreotypists employed the slogan “Secure the shadow, ere the substance fade” to encourage sitters to visit the photographer’s studio before it was too late. This is one of a rare group of five images that tracks a single family over several years, including a period of mourning. Most...
Art Historical Context
Step into the dawn of photography with *Untitled (The Coit)*, a poignant daguerreotype portrait from1855/56, now treasured in the Art Institute of's Photography and Media Department Captured on a modest 12.7 × 17.8 cm silverated copper sheet, this one-of-a-kind image—housed in its original protective case—offers a direct window into mid-19th-century American life. Daguerreotypes like this were the first practical photographic process, introduced in 1839, prized for their astonishing detail and lifelike clarity but demanding sitters remain perfectly still during exposures that could last minutes. Created by an unknown artist, typical of the era's itinerant photographers, the work exemplifies how daguerreotypy democratized portraiture. No longer reserved for painted canvases affordable only to the wealthy, these images allowed families like the Coits to preserve their likenesses with unprecedented realism. The formal poses and attire reflect Victorian ideals of dignity and domestic harmony, while the medium's fragility—sensitive to touch and light—underscores its preciousness. This intimate artifact highlights photography's cultural shift from novelty to cherished keepsake, bridging art and memory in an age of rapid innovation. A testament to early technical mastery, it invites us to ponder the faces frozen in silver, echoing lives from over 160 years past.
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...