Portrait of Five Children

c. 1850

American 19th Century

Associated Names
The image depicts five children. Four are seated in a formal portrait style, with one taller child standing behind. The standing child is a young boy with short, neatly combed hair, dressed in a suit with a double-breasted jacket and a bow tie. Two girls seated in the middle have their hair pulled back and are wearing dresses with puffed sleeves and lace gloves, one holding a baby on her lap. The baby is dressed in a light gown with short sleeves and very short hair. A girl on the left with long, wavy hair rests her arm around the baby, and the girl on the far right has a similar hairstyle and holds a fan. All children wear traditional formal attire typical of the era. They are posed on an ornate, upholstered piece of furniture in what appears to be a photography studio. The background is a simple plain backdrop, emphasizing formality. The photograph is bordered by an ornate gold frame within a case.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    daguerreotype

  • Credit Line

    Clinton and Jean Wright Fund

  • Dimensions

    image (visible): 9 × 12 cm (3 9/16 × 4 3/4 in.)
    mat: 10.8 × 13.7 cm (4 1/4 × 5 3/8 in.)
    case (closed): 15.2 × 12 × 2.3 cm (6 × 4 3/4 × 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.95.1


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Dennis A. Waters, Exeter, NH), 2014; NGA purchase, 2015.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2019

  • The Eye of the Sun: Nineteenth-Century Photographs from the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2019, unnumbered catalogue.

Wikidata ID

Q64144757

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