Snapshots of the Past

[John McAllister, Jr., head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front] – Antique Photo Print

[John McAllister, Jr., head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front], 1840, May 6. — historic photograph
[John McAllister, Jr., head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front], 1840, May 6.. 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 [John McAllister, Jr., head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front] in remarkable detail. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

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[John McAllister, Jr., head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front]

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A paper label on the back of this daguerreotype names its maker as R. Cornelius, of Eighth Street above Chestnut in Philadelphia, and a handwritten note dates the sitting to May 6, 1840. The sitter, John McAllister, Jr., faces the camera head and shoulders, set in a japanned brass frame. Robert Cornelius was among the earliest Americans to make portraits with the daguerreotype process, which had been made public only in 1839. Each plate is a single mirror-like image on silvered copper, so this example is a unique record of one sitting in that early studio.

Created / published1840, May 6.
Medium1 photograph : approximate sixth plate daguerreotype.
Genrep. 54. Purchase; Marian S. Carson; 1996; (DLC/PP-1996:088.2). Forms part of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress). Forms part of: Marian S. Carson collection (Library of Congress)"
NotesPrinted on yellow paper label pasted to the paper seal: Daguerreotype miniatures, by R. Cornelius, Eighth Street, above Chesnut [sic], Philadelphia. Written on paper seal: J. McAllister, Jr., May 6th, 1840. In japanned brass frame. Label on paper seal: 4." Robert Cornelius: Portraits from the dawn of photography / Stapp. Smithsonian Institution Press
SubjectsMcAllister, John,--1786-1877.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,682 × 4,536 px · prints to 12 × 15 in at 300 dpi
Reference239_John_McAllister_Jr_head_1840

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