Snapshots of the Past

[Thomas Cole, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly left] – Vintage Wall Art

[Thomas Cole, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly left], [between 1844 and 1848] — historic photograph
[Thomas Cole, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly left], [between 1844 and 1848]. 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 [Thomas Cole, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly left] in remarkable detail. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. A conversation-starting piece for home, office, or as a meaningful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

[Thomas Cole, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly left]

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

Thomas Cole, the painter who helped found the Hudson River School, is shown in this half-plate daguerreotype turned slightly to the left, a head-and-shoulders pose typical of the studio portraits made in Mathew Brady's operation in the mid-1840s. Gold toning warms the highlights and deepens the shadows on the silvered plate. Cole, known for landscapes such as *The Oxbow*, died in 1848, so the portrait dates to the last years of his life. The record also cites Harold Pfister's 1978 Smithsonian study *Facing the Light*, a useful source on American portrait daguerreotypes of this era.

Created / published[between 1844 and 1848]
Medium1 photograph : half plate daguerreotype, gold toned.
GenrePortrait photographs 1840-1850.Daguerreotypes 1840-1850.
NotesScratched on back of plate: 57; 117. Facing the light / H. Pfister. Washington : Smithsonian Institution Press, 1978, p. 308. Transfer; U.S. War College; 1920; (DLC/PP-1920:46153). Forms part of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress). Produced by Mathew Brady's studio.
SubjectsCole, Thomas,--1801-1848.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,209 × 1,536 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi
Reference107_Thomas_Cole_headandshou_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.