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[William Young McAllister, three-quarters length portrait, seated in a chair, arm resting on table with tablecloth] – Historic Photo Reproduction

[William Young McAllister, three-quarters length portrait, seated in a chair, arm resting on table with tablecloth], [between 1848 and 1851] — historic photograph
[William Young McAllister, three-quarters length portrait, seated in a chair, arm resting on table with tablecloth], [between 1848 and 1851]. 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 Young McAllister, three-quarters length portrait, seated in a chair, arm resting on table with tablecloth] 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 Young McAllister, three-quarters length portrait, seated in a chair, arm resting on table with tablecloth]

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Seated with one arm resting on a draped table, William Young McAllister (1812–1896) appears in this half-plate daguerreotype made at Root's Gallery on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. The record dates it between 1848 and 1851, a period when the daguerreotype was the leading method of portrait photography and Philadelphia studios competed for sitters with sharply detailed plates. The image survives in its original green leather case decorated with flowers and butterflies, and the studio's name is embossed on the velvet lining. Labels attached to the case record the sitter's name and dates, showing how such cases helped identify and preserve a portrait over time.

Created / published[between 1848 and 1851]
Medium1 photograph : half-plate daguerreotype.
GenreDaguerreotypes 1840-1860.Portrait photographs 1840-1860.
NotesCase: green leather with flowers and butterflies. Embossed on velvet inside case: Root's Gallery, 140 Chestnut St., Philada. Label attached to case: W.Y. McAllister. Label attached to case: About 1851. Label attached to case: William Y. McAllister-1848. Labels attached to case: 106 & 109. Purchase; Marion S. Carson; 1999; (DLC/PP-1999:126). Forms part of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress). Forms part of: Marion S. Carson collection (Library of Congress).
SubjectsMcAllister, W. Y. (William Young),--1812-1896.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,737 × 4,662 px · prints to 12 × 16 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-222342

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