Snapshots of the Past

[Unidentified portrait of a man, facing front] – Historic Photograph Print

[Unidentified portrait of a man, facing front], [ca. between 1839 and 1842] — historic photograph
[Unidentified portrait of a man, facing front], [ca. between 1839 and 1842]. 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 [Unidentified portrait of a man, facing front] in remarkable detail. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

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[Unidentified portrait of a man, facing front]

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The sitter of this small sixth-plate daguerreotype remains unidentified, but he faces the camera squarely and is housed in a plain leather case. Its date rests on a practical clue: the plate lacks gold toning, a treatment that came into use around 1840 to strengthen the image, so the portrait likely predates it. The attribution to William G. Mason, along with the paper label on the cover glass, is the main thread for tracing its origins. Daguerreotypes like this one were viewed at an angle, where the silvered surface shifts from positive image to mirror.

Created / published[ca. between 1839 and 1842]
Medium1 photograph : sixth plate daguerreotype.
NotesThe date of the image is based on the plate's lack of gold toning. Case: Plain leather grain. Attributed to William G. Mason. Paper label adhered to cover glass: 49." Labels on case: "65
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan4,001 × 5,000 px · prints to 13 × 17 in at 300 dpi
Reference487_Unidentified_portrait_o_1839

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