Group Portrait of Faculty, circa 1855

01

Artifact Overview

The daguerreotype, popular in the early 1840s-late 1850s, was the first form of photography available to the public. Sheets of silver-plated copper--polished to a mirror finish--were bathed in photosensitive vapors, and exposed in cameras. In formal studios and traveling booths, photographers created affordable portraits. For the first time, people saw their likenesses--fixed permanently in time and place.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Daguerreotype (Photograph)

Date Made

1850-1855

Subject Date

1850-1855

Creator Notes

Photograph case by David Pretlove.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

93.34.5

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Silver (Metal)
Copper (Metal)
Glass (Material)
Brass (Alloy)
Papier mâché
Wood (Plant material)
Silk (Textile)

Technique

Daguerreotype (Process)
Plating (Metal coating)
Hand coloring
Quarter plate

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)
Green
Gold (Color)

Dimensions

Height: 4.25 in
Width: 3.75 in
Length: 0.75 in