Snapshots of the Past

[James Bruce Elgin, 8th Earl of Elgin, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to right] – Vintage Photo Print

[James Bruce Elgin, 8th Earl of Elgin, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to right], [between 1844 and 1860] — historic photograph
[James Bruce Elgin, 8th Earl of Elgin, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to right], [between 1844 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 historic photograph of [James Bruce Elgin, 8th Earl of Elgin, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to right] brings a moment of history to your wall. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

Order it framed and ready to hang, or unframed to match a frame you already love. 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.

[James Bruce Elgin, 8th Earl of Elgin, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to right]

Order a print

Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal

Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sent securely. No purchase needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Ask about licensing or this print

Few surviving daguerreotypes of this British statesman are known, and this one's identity rests on a different source: its subject was matched to a woodcut that *Harper's Weekly* published on June 6, 1857, taken from an ambrotype by Mathew Brady's studio. The sitter, James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, governed the Province of Canada from 1847 to 1854 and was then sent to East Asia as Britain's envoy, where he helped negotiate treaties ending the Second Opium War. The head-and-shoulders pose, turned three-quarters to the right, follows the formal conventions of mid-century studio portraiture.

Created / published[between 1844 and 1860]
Medium1 photograph : half plate daguerreotype.
GenrePortrait photographs 1840-1860.Daguerreotypes 1840-1860.
NotesIdentification from a woodcut engraving from an ambrotype by Brady in Harper's Weekly, June 6, 1857, p. 357. Corners trimmed. Purchase; Alice H. Cox and Mary H. Evans; 1954. Forms part of: Brady-Handy collection (Library of Congress). Forms part of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress). Produced by Mathew Brady's studio.
SubjectsElgin, James Bruce,--Earl of,--1811-1863.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,310 × 4,096 px · prints to 11 × 14 in at 300 dpi
Reference218_James_Bruce_Elgin_8th_E_1844

More from the Daguerreotypes & Early Photography collection

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.

Related pictures

[Horace Mann, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to right][Horace Mann, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to right][Colonel William Gates, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the right, in military uniform][Colonel William Gates, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the right[Asher Brown Durand, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the right, head three-quarters to the left][Asher Brown Durand, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the right, h[Sam Houston, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the right][Sam Houston, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the right][Phoebe Cary, head-and-shoulders portrait of a woman, three-quarters to the right][Phoebe Cary, head-and-shoulders portrait of a woman, three-quarters to the righ[F.B. Carpenter, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the right][F.B. Carpenter, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the right]