Daguerreotype of a Miniature Double Portrait on a Chair Back

Dateca. 1855

MediumDaguerreotype in a leather-covered case having a brass foil mat

DimensionsOther (image sight): 2 1/2 x 2 1/8in. (6.4 x 5.4cm) Framed (in extant case back): 3 5/8 x 3 1/8in.

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1989.510.1

DescriptionA black and white photographic image (a daguerreotype) of a handpainted miniature double portrait showing a woman holding a child on her lap, the oval-shaped, encased miniature being displayed hung over the back of a painted Gothic-style child's chair.

Photographer unidentified.

The photograph is enclosed in a book-style, leather-covered case that has lost its cover. A sanded brass foil mat holds the image in place.
Label TextThis daguerreotype of a miniature double portrait, shown hung over a chair back, probably was created for a family member who coveted the original but could not own it. A label on the case includes the word "Mother," but no surname is legible. The actual miniature exists in a private collection.
InscribedHand-printed on a paper label attached to the righthand edge of the case is: "Mother [time? second word unclear]".
ProvenanceNo history prior to CWF's source, Larry Gotheim (auction house) of Binghamton, NY, has been documented.