Snapshots of the Past

[Benjamin B. French, half-length portrait, facing left] – Historic Photo Reproduction

[Benjamin B. French, half-length portrait, facing left], [between 1844 and 1860] — historic photograph
[Benjamin B. French, half-length portrait, facing left], [between 1844 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 [Benjamin B. French, half-length portrait, facing left] in remarkable detail. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. Perfect for a home, office, library or classroom wall, and a gift with a story behind it. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

[Benjamin B. French, half-length portrait, facing left]

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Scratched into the face of the plate is the name Benjamin Brown French, a New Hampshire lawyer and politician who spent much of his career in Washington. The sitter appears in half-length, turned to the left, in a studio portrait made by Mathew Brady's operation in the 1840s or 1850s, when the daguerreotype was the leading form of studio portrait. French later served as Commissioner of Public Buildings, overseeing federal construction in the capital while the Capitol was being expanded. The plate reached the Library of Congress in 1920 by transfer from the U.S. War College.

Created / published[between 1844 and 1860]
Medium1 photograph : half plate daguerreotype.
GenrePortrait photographs 1840-1860.Daguerreotypes 1840-1860.
NotesScratched on face of plate: French. Scratched on back of plate: 234; Hon. B. B. French. Transfer; U.S. War College; 1920; (DLC/PP-1920:46153). Forms part of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress). Produced by Mathew Brady's studio.
SubjectsFrench, Benjamin B. (Benjamin Brown),--1800-1870.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,306 × 4,096 px · prints to 11 × 14 in at 300 dpi
Reference153_Benjamin_B_French_halfl_1844

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