Portrait of a lady thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 122c

Portrait of a lady

Daguerreotype
early 1850s (photographed)
Artist/Maker
William Edward Kilburn (photographer)
Place of origin
London (photographed)

Kilburn opened a Daguerreotype studio in London in 1846. He advertised his portraits in the press stating that 'The likeness taken by the photographic process serves merely as a sketch for the miniature, which is painted by M. Mansion, whose productions on Ivory are so celebrated in Paris. They have when finished all the delicacy of an elaborate miniature, with the infallible accuracy of expression only obttainable by the photographic process.' Three hand-coloured Daguereotypes by Kilburn were shown at the Great Exhibition in 1851.


Object details

Category
Photographs
Object type
Daguerreotype
TitlePortrait of a lady (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Photograph, coloured
Paper
Daguerreotype
Brief description
19thC, hand-tinted daguerreotype in a plush-lined papier mache case; Kilburn, William Edward, c. 1851
Physical description
Portrait of a young lady with hand-painted and gilt detials in a plush lined papier-mache case.
Dimensions
  • Image height: 9cm
  • Image width: 6.5cm
  • Case closed height: 12.1cm
  • Case closed width: 9.5cm
  • Case closed depth: 1cm
Style
Victorian
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • By Appointment [the royal arms]/Mr Kilburn./ 234 Regent Street (Stamped in the case cover.)
  • No 15 (Incised on the reverse of the copper plate)
Gallery label
  • British Galleries DAGUERREOTYPES
    Daguerreotypes are the earliest widely known photographs: their startling clarity is still impressive. The image is made on a brightly polished sheet of silvered copper. This process was initially used almost entirely for commercial portraiture. The photographs here by early amateurs, Horatio Ross and William Edward Kilburn, show a fishing scene and a portrait, prototypes of the ever-popular 'family snapshot'.(14/07/06)
  • Object Type
    Daguerreotypes (an early type of photograph on a silvered copper plate) were usually protected by glass and sometimes kept in leather or thick plastic cases because the highly polished surface is easily scratched. The image is a unique positive made directly onto the plate without a negative, as in other forms of photography. Many daguerreotype photographers replaced miniature painters as makers of portraits as the process was quicker and less expensive.

    Ownership & Use
    Daguerreotypes were not made primarily for public display in exhibitions. Such small and intimate photographs were generally produced as private keepsakes and often remained within the family.

    People
    Kilburn opened a Daguerreotype studio in London in 1846. He advertised his portraits in the press stating that 'Thelikeness taken by the photographic process serves merely as a sketch for the miniature, which is painted by M. Mansion, whose productions on Ivory are so celebrated in Paris. They have when finished all the delicacy of an elaborate miniature, with the infallible accuracy of expression only obttainable by the photographic process.' Three hand-coloured Daguereotypes by Kilburn were shown at the Great Exhibition in 1851.(14/07/06)
Credit line
Given by J. L. Nevinson
Historical context
Donor of this and other fine Daguerreotypes to the V&A in 1939
Production
Reason For Production: Retail
Summary
Kilburn opened a Daguerreotype studio in London in 1846. He advertised his portraits in the press stating that 'The likeness taken by the photographic process serves merely as a sketch for the miniature, which is painted by M. Mansion, whose productions on Ivory are so celebrated in Paris. They have when finished all the delicacy of an elaborate miniature, with the infallible accuracy of expression only obttainable by the photographic process.' Three hand-coloured Daguereotypes by Kilburn were shown at the Great Exhibition in 1851.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
2-1939

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Record createdApril 10, 2007
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O133725/portrait-of-a-lady-daguerreotype-william-edward-kilburn/
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