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[Unidentified man, about 40 years of age and a somewhat younger woman, both in Oriental costume, full-length portraits, both seated on a carpet on the floor, the man, on the left, cross-legged, turned three-quarters to the right, holding a string of beads; the woman turned slightly to the left, wearing a beaded (?) cap; between them is a hookah, the stem of which both are holding] – Historic Photo Reproduction

[Unidentified man, about 40 years of age and a somewhat younger woman, both in Oriental costume, full-length portraits, both seated on a carpet on the floor, the man, on the left, cross-legged, turned three-quarters to the right, holding a string of beads; the woman turned slightly to the left, wearing a beaded (?) cap; between them is a hookah, the stem of which both are holding], [between 1850 and 1860] — historic photograph
[Unidentified man, about 40 years of age and a somewhat younger woman, both in Oriental costume, full-length portraits, both seated on a carpet on the floor, the man, on the left, cross-legged, turned three-quarters to the right, holding a string of beads; the woman turned slightly to the left, wearing a beaded (?) cap; between them is a hookah, the stem of which both are holding], [between 1850 and 1860]. Historic photograph from the Historic Print Archive 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

Few images capture their era like this historic photograph of [Unidentified man, about 40 years of age and a somewhat younger woman, both in Oriental costume, full-length portraits, both seated on a carpet on the floor, the man, on the left, cross-legged, turned three-quarters to the right, holding a string of beads; the woman turned slightly to the left, wearing a beaded (?) cap; between them is a hookah, the stem of which both are holding]. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

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[Unidentified man, about 40 years of age and a somewhat younger woman, both in Oriental costume, full-length portraits, both seated on a carpet on the floor, the man, on the left, cross-legged, turned three-quarters to the right, holding a string of beads; the woman turned slightly to the left, wearing a beaded (?) cap; between them is a hookah, the stem of which both are holding]

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Two unidentified sitters share a hookah in this whole-plate daguerreotype, the man cross-legged on a carpet with a string of beads and the woman beside him in a beaded cap, both gripping the same pipe stem. Costume pictures like this were a studio staple in the 1850s, when American audiences were drawn to Near Eastern dress and photographers kept garments and props on hand for staged tableaux. The plate comes from Mathew Brady's studio, and its gold toning gives the silvery image a warmer cast. Because the sitters are unknown, the picture reads best as a performance rather than a record of a particular household.

Created / published[between 1850 and 1860]
Medium1 photograph : whole plate daguerreotype, gold toned.
GenrePortrait photographs 1850-1860.Group portraits 1850-1860.Daguerreotypes 1850-1860.
NotesCorners trimmed. Hallmark: Rinhart 29. Written on back of plate: 507(X). Transfer; U.S. War College; 1920; (DLC/PP-1920:46153). Forms part of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress). Produced by Mathew Brady's studio.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan631 × 839 px
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-186602

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