Snapshots of the Past

[John Silva Meehan, head-and-shoulders portrait] – Historic Photograph Print

[John Silva Meehan, head-and-shoulders portrait], [between 1850 and 1860] — historic photograph
[John Silva Meehan, head-and-shoulders portrait], [between 1850 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 rare historic photograph captures [John Silva Meehan, head-and-shoulders portrait] in remarkable detail. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

Choose the framed print, ready to hang the day it arrives, or the unframed print for a frame of your own. 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.

[John Silva Meehan, head-and-shoulders portrait]

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

The case of this portrait of John Silva Meehan (1790-1863) is inscribed "patent applied for, Masher's improved stereoscope, Philadelphia," tying the small quarter-size image to a specific viewing device of the 1850s. Its stereoscopic format meant two slightly offset exposures that, seen through a stereoscope, gave the sitter a sense of three-dimensional presence. Hand coloring was added to the image, and the case is decorated with lilies on the front and a geometric pattern on the back. The photographer is unidentified, but the piece belongs to the Library of Congress's Meehan family papers, which preserve his personal records.

Created / published[between 1850 and 1860]
Medium1 photograph : quarter size Mascher stereoscopic daguerreotype, hand-colored.
GenrePortrait photographs 1850-1860.Daguerreotypes 1840-1860.Stereographs 1850-1860.
NotesPhotographer unidentified. Case: front, lillies; back, geometric design. Inscribed on case: patent applied for, Masher's improved stereoscope, Philadelphia. Transfer; Manuscript Division; 1981; (DLC/PP-1981:193). Forms part of: John Silva Meehan Papers, 1828-1904 (Library of Congress). Forms part of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress).
SubjectsMeehan, John Silva,--1790-1863.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,126 × 1,536 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi
Reference247_John_Silva_Meehan_heada_1850

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

[John Sherman, head-and-shoulders portrait, full face][John Sherman, head-and-shoulders portrait, full face][John Peter Van Ness, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front][John Peter Van Ness, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front][John McAllister, Jr., head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front][John McAllister, Jr., head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front][John M. Washington, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the left, in military uniform][John M. Washington, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the left, in[John Lane Gardner, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing right][John Lane Gardner, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing right][John Davis, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly left][John Davis, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly left]