Jenny Lind
Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre
French, 1787–1851
1840-51
A small, intimate mid‑19th‑century daguerreotype portrait by Louis‑Jacques‑Mandé Daguerre that aims to capture the sitter’s likeness and presence on a shimmering silvered plate.
Set inside a velvet‑lined case, the image arrests you with its quiet formality—the sitter’s composed pose, braided hair, and delicately positioned hands rendered with a mirror‑like clarity against a softly graduated background.
As an early daguerreotype, it demonstrates photography’s breakthrough in fixing a true‑to‑life likeness and bringing portraiture into private, everyday spaces, helping to usher in modern photographic and celebrity culture.
Medium
Daguerreotype
Dimensions
2 5/8 × 2 3/16" (6.7 × 5.6 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of A. Conger Goodyear
Accession
591.1953
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
