Snapshots of the Past

[Isaiah Lukens, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left] – Historic Photograph Print

[Isaiah Lukens, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left], [1840 or 1841] — historic photograph
[Isaiah Lukens, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left], [1840 or 1841]. 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

[Isaiah Lukens, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left] comes to life in this historic photograph, reproduced from the original with every detail intact. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. It makes a striking addition to a living room, study or office, and a thoughtful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

[Isaiah Lukens, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left]

Order a print

Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal

Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sent securely. No purchase needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Ask about licensing or this print

This portrait is notable for its maker's stamp: the brass mat is marked "R. Cornelius, Philada.," which ties the plate to Robert Cornelius, the Philadelphia experimenter who produced some of the earliest surviving American portraits in the late 1830s and early 1840s. The sitter, Isaiah Lukens (1779-1846), was a Philadelphia instrument maker and scientist, so the likeness records a figure from the city's scientific circles at the moment photography was new. The head-and-shoulders pose, turned to the left, was typical of the period, when exposures ran long and sitters were held still. The plate sits in its original green embossed leather case, which helps date it to about 1840 or 1841.

Created / published[1840 or 1841]
Medium1 photograph : sixth plate daguerreotype.
Genrep. 76. Purchase; Marian S. Carson; 1996; (DLC/PP-1996:088.4). Forms part of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress). Forms part of: Marian S. Carson collection (Library of Congress)"
NotesBrass mat stamped: R. Cornelius, Philada. fecit. Case: green embossed leather; pressure sensitive label on case #2." Robert Cornelius: Portraits from the dawn of photography / Stapp. Smithsonian Institution Press
SubjectsLukens, Isaiah,--1779-1846.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,644 × 4,521 px · prints to 12 × 15 in at 300 dpi
Reference215_Isaiah_Lukens_headandsh_1840

More from the Daguerreotypes & Early Photography collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.

Related pictures

[James Duncan, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left][James Duncan, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left][James J. Mapes, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left][James J. Mapes, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left][John Davis, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly left][John Davis, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly left][Hannibal Hamlin, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly to left][Hannibal Hamlin, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly to left][Madame De Lara, head-and-shoulders portrait of a woman, three-quarters view, facing left][Madame De Lara, head-and-shoulders portrait of a woman, three-quarters view, fa[Daniel Dickinson, head-and-shoulders portrait, slightly to the left, facing front][Daniel Dickinson, head-and-shoulders portrait, slightly to the left, facing fro