Untitled
c. 1850
A small mid‑19th‑century daguerreotype capturing an intimate domestic moment—a woman leaning over an infant—made to preserve a fleeting family scene with the new photographic process.
The polished, mirror‑like surface and warm gilt mat give the image a hushed, luminous quality: the woman's white cap and the baby's pale face emerge from deep shadow, all set within a velvet‑lined case.
As an early photographic portrait, it shows how the daguerreotype made private lives visible and durable, helping establish photography as a tool for memory, mourning, and everyday intimacy.
Medium
Daguerreotype
Dimensions
2 5/8 × 2 1/16" (6.6 × 5.2 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Celeste Bartos
Accession
70.1974
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
