Snapshots of the Past

Head and shoulders daguerreotype portrait of an unidentified man – Vintage Wall Art

Head and shoulders daguerreotype portrait of an unidentified man, 1844 — historic photograph
Head and shoulders daguerreotype portrait of an unidentified man, 1844. Historic photograph from the Daguerreotypes & Early Photography collection.

(Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

A window into the past: Head and shoulders daguerreotype portrait of an unidentified man, preserved in this historic photograph. It comes from the Snapshots of the Past collection, curated over 25 years for its historical value.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. 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, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

Head and shoulders daguerreotype portrait of an unidentified man

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A sitter whose name has been lost to time is the defining fact of this 1844 daguerreotype, a head-and-shoulders study of a man who remains unidentified. The daguerreotype, introduced in France in 1839, produced a single positive image directly on a silvered copper plate, so each example is a unique object rather than a print from a negative. By 1844 portrait studios had spread through American and European cities, and sitters often held still for several seconds or more in bright studio light. Viewers today usually look first at the crisp detail of clothing and face, and at the mirror-like surface, which shifts from image to reflection as the plate is tilted.

Created / published1844
Original scan3,305 × 4,096 px · prints to 11 × 14 in at 300 dpi
Reference460_Unidentified_man_headan_1844

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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.

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