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[Stephen Allen Benson, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the left] – Historic Photo Reproduction

[Stephen Allen Benson, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the left], [between 1854 and 1860] — historic photograph
[Stephen Allen Benson, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the left], [between 1854 and 1860]. Historic photograph from the Historic Print Archive 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 [Stephen Allen Benson, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the left] in remarkable detail. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.

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[Stephen Allen Benson, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the left]

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Benson's head and shoulders are turned three-quarters to the left, a pose favored by portrait studios of the period for flattering the face and adding depth. The image is a sixth-plate daguerreotype, a small silvered copper plate that gives a sharp, mirror-like surface and must be tilted to catch the light. Daguerreotypes were the dominant portrait medium in the 1850s, before paper prints and glass negatives became common. Sitters often had to hold still for many seconds, which gives such portraits their grave, composed look.

Created / published[between 1854 and 1860]
Medium1 photograph : sixth plate daguerreotype.
GenrePortrait photographs 1850-1860.Daguerreotypes 1850-1860.
SubjectsBenson, Stephen Allen,--1816-1865.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,253 × 4,096 px · prints to 11 × 14 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-213486

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