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[William Robertson Grant, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing right] – Antique Photo Print

[William Robertson Grant, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing right], 1840 [May] — historic photograph
[William Robertson Grant, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing right], 1840 [May]. Historic photograph from the Daguerreotypes & Early Photography collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

This rare historic photograph captures [William Robertson Grant, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing right] in remarkable detail. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

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[William Robertson Grant, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing right]

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A paper label on this daguerreotype's seal credits R. Cornelius, whose Philadelphia studio on Eighth Street, above Chestnut, advertised daguerreotype miniatures. A handwritten note on the seal, "Dr. Grant, 1840," names the sitter, William Robertson Grant (1811–1852), and dates the portrait to May 1840, only a few years after the process was made public. Robert Cornelius was among the earliest American practitioners, and the sharp detail and mirror-like silver surface of the plate show why these small portraits were so prized.

Created / published1840 [May]
Medium1 photograph : approximate sixth plate daguerreotype.
Genre1983
NotesPrinted on yellow paper label pasted to the paper seal: Daguerreotype miniatures, by R. Cornelius, Eighth Street, above Chesnut [sic], Philadelphia. Written on paper seal: Dr. Grant, 1840. Labels on cover glass: 4
SubjectsGrant, William Robertson,--1811-1852.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,619 × 4,512 px · prints to 12 × 15 in at 300 dpi
Reference553_William_Robertson_Grant_1840

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