Untitled

Photography and Media

c. 1852

Artist unknown
American, 19th century

An astonishingly sharp image on a mirrored surface, the daguerreotype was the most popular form of portraiture in the United States during the 1840s and ’50s. Because of its relatively low cost, people from all walks of life could afford to have their likeness made, many for the first time. This image—a daguerreotype of daguerreotypes—likely documents a college class. Reproducing the set of images allowed each student to have a picture of the entire class—setting the stage, much later, for yearbooks and even social media platforms such as Facebook.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Photography and Media

Artist: Artist unknown
Title: Untitled
Place: United States (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1850–1855
Medium: Daguerreotype
Dimensions: Image: 13.5 × 18.5 cm (5 3/8 × 7 5/16 in.); Case: 17.9 × 23 cm (7 1/16 × 9 1/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Nicholas W. Skezas, MD
Reference Number: 2016.133
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/236150/manifest.json

Art Institute of Chicago, Gallery 10 Permanent Collection Rotation, May 28-November 6, 2016.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.