Untitled
late 1840s
A mid-19th-century daguerreotype portrait of two women posed side by side, made to record precise, mirror‑like likenesses using the new photographic process.
The image arrests you with a cool, metallic sheen and razor-sharp facial detail—two similarly dressed women stand very still, their dark gowns and white collars picked out against a softly faded, reflective ground.
This early daguerreotype shows how photography quickly altered how people remembered themselves and others, offering an affordable, exact likeness that reshaped portraiture and social ritual.
Medium
Daguerreotype
Dimensions
6 5/16 × 4 1/8" (16 × 10.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Acquired through the generosity of Pierre N. Leval
Accession
1292.2001
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
