Death Portrait of a Woman Lying On a Bed of Patterned Material
c. 1850
A small, mirror-like daguerreotype showing a woman's post-mortem portrait—she lies posed with closed eyes on patterned fabrics, preserved in its fitted leather and velvet case.
At first glance it reads like a quiet, luminous still life: the woman's pale face and folded hands gleam in silvery detail against richly patterned textiles, the brass mat and deep-blue velvet of the case framing the tiny, reflective image.
It is a striking example of mid-19th-century post-mortem photography, when the daguerreotype made intimate memorials widely attainable and helped shape modern practices of remembering the dead.
Medium
Daguerreotype
Dimensions
2 3/4 × 2 1/4" (7.0 × 5.7 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Celeste Bartos
Accession
69.1974
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
