Josephin Soulary
F. Armbruster
French, 1835–1912
1865-75
A small 19th-century albumen silver print studio portrait of an older man, made to record his likeness and suggest his character and social standing.
The image strikes you with its quiet intimacy—soft sepia tones, the sitter’s contemplative gaze turned slightly aside, wispy white hair and mustache, and his hands casually resting on a ledge, all rendered with the fine detail of the albumen print.
Studio albumen portraits like this helped make photographic likenesses widely available in the mid-1800s, codifying poses, lighting, and a dignified intimacy that shaped modern portrait photography.
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
3 1/2 × 2 1/4" (9 × 5.7 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Acquired through the
generosity of Shirley C. Burden
Accession
178.1982.62
Palette
Exhibitions
