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[Bishop Frederic Baraga, three-quarter length portrait, facing three-quarters to right, seated, in clerical robes, holding his Dictionary of the Otchipwe Language] – Vintage Photo Print

[Bishop Frederic Baraga, three-quarter length portrait, facing three-quarters to right, seated, in clerical robes, holding his Dictionary of the Otchipwe Language], [between 1853 and 1860] — historic photograph
[Bishop Frederic Baraga, three-quarter length portrait, facing three-quarters to right, seated, in clerical robes, holding his Dictionary of the Otchipwe Language], [between 1853 and 1860]. 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 [Bishop Frederic Baraga, three-quarter length portrait, facing three-quarters to right, seated, in clerical robes, holding his Dictionary of the Otchipwe Language] in remarkable detail. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

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[Bishop Frederic Baraga, three-quarter length portrait, facing three-quarters to right, seated, in clerical robes, holding his Dictionary of the Otchipwe Language]

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Here the sitter is Bishop Frederic Baraga, shown seated in clerical robes and holding a copy of his *Dictionary of the Otchipwe Language*, which he published in 1853. Baraga, a Slovenian-born Catholic missionary, spent decades ministering to Ojibwe communities around Lake Superior, and the book reflects his effort to record their language for use in preaching and teaching. The half-plate daguerreotype was made in Mathew Brady's New York studio, probably in the years just after the dictionary appeared. Its gold toning and sharp detail are typical of the period's portraiture, and the book in his hands makes the image a record of his scholarly work as well as his clerical role.

Created / published[between 1853 and 1860]
Medium1 photograph : half plate daguerreotype, gold toned.
GenrePortrait photographs 1850-1860.Daguerreotypes 1850-1860.
NotesTitle devised by Library staff. Identification of Baraga from accompanying letter, Henry J. Shandelle, Feb. 27, 1897, in the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division accessions file. Identification of book as Baraga's 1853 dictionary from Miran Spelic and Andraz Arko, 2005. Scratched on back of plate: 4; 447 [cancelled] Transfer; U.S. War College; 1920; (DLC/PP-1920:46153). Forms part of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress). Produced by Mathew Brady's studio.
SubjectsBaraga, Frederic,--1797-1868. Clergy--1850-1860.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,280 × 4,096 px · prints to 11 × 14 in at 300 dpi
Reference21_Bishop_Frederic_Baraga_1853

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