Worker beside large machine, daguerreotype occupational portrait – Vintage Wall Art
(Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)
Description
Worker beside large machine, daguerreotype occupational portrait comes to life in this historic photograph, reproduced from the original with every detail intact. Drawn from the Snapshots of the Past archive, it is an authentic piece of documented history.
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.
Worker beside large machine, daguerreotype occupational portrait
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A daguerreotype from around 1840 shows a worker posed beside a large machine, a subject that was unusual for the period. Early photographic subjects were dominated by portraits of individuals and views of buildings and landscapes, so an occupational portrait that puts a laborer next to industrial equipment stands out. Daguerreotypes were made on silvered copper plates, which gave them sharp detail and a mirror-like surface that reflects the viewer's own image when tilted. Exposures then took several minutes in bright light, so the sitter had to hold still, and the stiff pose visible here reflects that demand as much as the conventions of the day.
| Created / published | 1840 |
|---|---|
| Original scan | 4,096 × 3,259 px · prints to 14 × 11 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | 282_Occupational_portrait_o_1840 |
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