Self-portrait of Horatio Ross thumbnail 1
Self-portrait of Horatio Ross thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case DAG, Shelf 14

Self-portrait of Horatio Ross

Daguerreotype
ca. 1850 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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
Horatio Ross (1801-1886) took up photography in 1845, although he is also remembered as one of the 19th century's finest sportsmen. He was best known for steeplechasing (a form of horse racing) and as a marksman. Ross and his sons represented Scotland in the National Rifle Association championships in 1863.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSelf-portrait of Horatio Ross (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Daguerreotype
Brief description
Daguerreotype self portrait of Horatio Ross taken in Scotland by Horatio Ross, ca. 1850
Physical description
Daguerrotype showing Horatio Ross
Dimensions
  • With frame height: 105mm (frame with)
  • Width: 10.8cm
  • Depth: 0.7cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 04/04/2000 by LH
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 an early amateur, Horatio Ross, show a self-portrait and a fishing scene, prototypes of the ever-popular 'family snapshot'.(27/03/2003)
Credit line
Given by Maj. Ross
Object history
Taken in Scotland by Horatio Ross (born in Angus,1801, died in Highland Region, 1886)
Subjects depicted
Summary
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
Horatio Ross (1801-1886) took up photography in 1845, although he is also remembered as one of the 19th century's finest sportsmen. He was best known for steeplechasing (a form of horse racing) and as a marksman. Ross and his sons represented Scotland in the National Rifle Association championships in 1863.
Other number
PH.242-1946 - Previous number
Collection
Accession number
242-1946

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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