Portrait of a Phrenologist

1840s

Thomas S. Walsh

Associated Names
Thomas S. Walsh

Artist, American, active 1840s–1850s

The image shows a woman depicted from the waist up, sitting in a formal position. She has a composed expression with clearly defined facial features and her dark hair is styled into a smooth bun, covered partially by a white headpiece. She is wearing a dark, long-sleeved dress with a high neckline, accented by a white lace collar. The woman is holding a small sculpted bust in her right hand, which rests on a table covered with decorative fabric. The background is a simple dark backdrop. The image is framed in an ornate gold mat within a red-bordered frame, with the name "WALSH" imprinted at the bottom.

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

    The Ross J. Kelbaugh Collection

  • Dimensions

    image (visible): 6.9 × 5.6 cm (2 11/16 × 2 3/16 in.)
    mat: 8.3 × 6.9 cm (3 1/4 × 2 11/16 in.)
    case (closed): 9.2 × 8.2 × 1.9 cm (3 5/8 × 3 1/4 × 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2023.146.36


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Ross Kelbaugh, Marriottsville, MD; gift to NGA, 2023.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

on brass mat, bottom center embossed: WALSH; by Ross Kelbaugh, top edge of case in black ink on applied sticker: KL005; by unknown hand, spine of case in black ink on applied sticker: H / 2


You may be interested in

Loading Results