Portrait of a Woman and Baby

1853

American 19th Century

Associated Names
American 19th Century

Artist

The image shows a seated woman visible from the waist up, holding a baby in her lap. She is positioned straightforward, facing the camera. The woman has dark skin, a defined nose, and styled back hair. Her clothing is a patterned dress with a high collar and a small embellishment. The baby is dressed in a light-colored gown. The woman wears a small necklace or pendant around her neck. The background includes a decorative chair, and the photograph is framed in an elegant, gold-patterned frame.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    daguerreotype with applied color

  • Credit Line

    Robert B. Menschel and the Vital Projects Fund

  • Dimensions

    image (visible): 6.7 × 5.5 cm (2 5/8 × 2 3/16 in.)
    mat: 8.4 × 7 cm (3 5/16 × 2 3/4 in.)
    case: 9.4 × 8.2 × 1 cm (3 11/16 × 3 1/4 × 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2013.120.2

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Richard Look, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL; (Charles Schwartz, Ltd., New York), 2011; NGA purchase, 2013.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2017

  • Posing for the Camera: Gifts from Robert B. Menschel, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2017 - 2018, unnumbered catalogue.

Inscriptions

inside of case, by unknown hand, lower center in graphite: H. H. Brooks / Feb 7th 1853

Wikidata ID

Q64144695

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