Formal portrait of an elegant African American woman seated.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

The portrait is taken from the waist up. The lady sits turned to face forward, looking at us. Her left elbow rests on the corner of a tapestry covered table on the right; the other hand rests in her lap, in this well composed photograph. Her hair is wavey, parted in the middle, and gathered behind her head, she wears earrings and a ring on her right hand. Her dress is dark with long sleeves, against a plain dark background. The daguerreotype is set in an ornate case.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2008.305
People
Unidentified Artist
Title
Untitled (half length portrait of African American woman, seated and leaning against tapestry-covered table)
Classification
Photographs
Work Type
photograph
Date
1840s-1850s
Places
Creation Place: North America, United States
Culture
American
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/330137

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Hand-colored sixth-plate daguerreotype
Technique
Daguerreotype
Dimensions
8.3 x 7 cm (3 1/4 x 2 3/4 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Richard and Ronay Menschel Fund for the Acquisition of Photographs
Accession Year
2008
Object Number
2008.305
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Colleen Walsh, "Defining themselves; Two 19th century daguerreotypes allowed African Americans to show their lives as they were", Harvard Gazette (Cambridge, MA, 2010)

Exhibition History

  • GenEd US12 American Encounters: Art, Contact, and Conflict, 1560-1860 (S427) Spring 2012, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/31/2012 - 05/12/2012
  • 32Q: 2100 19th Century, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 11/10/2015

Subjects and Contexts

  • Collection Highlights

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu