Portrait of a Seated Woman c. 1845-50, full plate daguerreotype
dimensions full plate: 6 1/2" x 8 1/2" approx.
dimensions framed: 7" x 9" x 1" approx.
This striking, unique c. 1845-1850 full plate daguerreotype referred to here as Portrait of a Seated Woman, shows the portrait subject set against an otherwise dark background, seated in a chair with her gaze directly addressing the viewer. The portrait is either American, possibly English or European with reference to the passé partout gold mat. Stylistically, this portrait is individualistic in good part due to the sitter's facial expression and unaffected gaze, and the composition as a whole with soft lighting from above and the sitter's frontal posture is reminiscent of certain fine American daguerreotype portraits by Southworth & Hawes and John Plumbe Jr.1/ The woman's serious expression, her glasses, modest day cap or mourning cap with a spray of forget-me-nots, delicately decorated collar and jeweled brooch are otherwise projected with visual power by the contrasting black gown and darkened backdrop. The full plate format itself has meaning and amplifies the art's impact.
A full plate daguerreotype is rare. The sitter for such a portrait need not be a celebrity, but certainly a person of means and deliberate purpose. The very high cost of a full plate daguerreotype meant that few were made, that the daguerreotype artist's client was a person of means and elevated social status. The sitter therefore could choose the most talented and renowned daguerreotype artist in his or her vicinity. The purpose of the portrait was to memorialize the sitter's achievements or a time of personal tragedy such as a death in the family or serve as a a legacy. Premier studios attracted such prominent clients. A daguerreotype studio also offered frames and mats, some domestic and others imported from foreign manufacturers.2/ Thus this rare antique photograph could be American. Further study, removal from the period frame and identification of the plate maker may shed further light on the identity of the sitter and of the photographer.
The historical significance of this unique, arresting, full plate daguerreotype Portrait of a Seated Woman therefore arises from its very medium and format. Further research may identify the plate used or other facts inside the yet to be opened frame. The artistic skill of the image speaks for itself.
Notes:
1. Southworth & Hawes portraits of both women and men were done in their preferred format of full plate daguerreotype. The firm paid little heed to instructions such as those by T.S. Arthur in Gody's Lady's Book May, 1849 that the sitter should affect "forced ease." See, George Eastman House collection [Topics in Photographic Preservation] of full plate daguerreotype portraits by Southworth & Hawes, and John Plumbe Jr.'s (1809-1857) daguerreotype portrait of Dolly Madison in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery that capture the individual, typically with that person's direct gaze and singular identity. Plumbe, originally from Wales moved to the United States, where he took up photography, established 13 galleries in 13 American cities and died in Dubuque, Iowa. Please see, MFA Boston full plate daguerreotype portraits by known and unknown artists, Woman in White Cap with Broad Ribbons – Results – Advanced Search Objects – Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Grace Greenwood – Results – Advanced Search Objects – Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and An Unidentified Older Man – Works – Museum of Fine Arts, Boston that similarly express the individuality of the sitter by concentrating the composition on his or her direct gaze at the viewer.
2. see George Cruikshank's 1842 picture of an early English daguerreotype studio and manufactory and explanation of the photographic process and case manufacture. The Daguerreotype Process - web site.