Alice E. Harris
Daguerreotype
ca. 1851 (made)
ca. 1851 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The daguerreotype process was introduced to the public in 1839 by Frenchman Louis Daguerre, and was hugely popular as a medium for portraiture until the middle of the 1850s. To create a daguerreotype, a silver plated sheet was given a light sensitive surface coating of iodine vapour. After a long exposure in the camera, the image was developed over heated mercury and fixed in a common salt solution. The image lies on a mirror-like surface and is best seen from an angle to minimise reflections. The surface of daguerreotypes is delicate and easily damaged, so professionally finished images were presented in a protective case or frame.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Alice E. Harris (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Daguerreotype, glass, copper, tinted, gilt mount, leather and velvet case. |
| Brief description | Daguerreotype portrait of a young girl called Alice E. Harris by Jesse Harrison Whitehurst. America, ca. 1851. |
| Physical description | Daguerreotype portrait of a young girl, half-length, seated and smiling, wearing her hair loose and with hoop earrings. Cased in papier-maché (without lid), in a shaped gilt mount. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Unique |
| Credit line | Given by Mrs Barrett-Lennard |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The daguerreotype process was introduced to the public in 1839 by Frenchman Louis Daguerre, and was hugely popular as a medium for portraiture until the middle of the 1850s. To create a daguerreotype, a silver plated sheet was given a light sensitive surface coating of iodine vapour. After a long exposure in the camera, the image was developed over heated mercury and fixed in a common salt solution. The image lies on a mirror-like surface and is best seen from an angle to minimise reflections. The surface of daguerreotypes is delicate and easily damaged, so professionally finished images were presented in a protective case or frame. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | P.168-1929 |
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| Record created | May 27, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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