[Pair of Portraits of Man and Woman (Husband and Wife?)] 1852 - 1860

These portraits of a man and a woman, possibly husband and wife, were created by Jeremiah Gurney using the daguerreotype process. This early photographic method involved creating an image on a silvered copper plate, making each one a unique, unrepeatable object. The reflective surface of the daguerreotype captures light in a way that imbues the subjects with a subtle, almost ethereal quality. The process was painstaking, demanding careful preparation of the plate, precise exposure, and skilled chemical development. Though celebrated as scientific advancement, we can appreciate how the daguerreotype's laborious making also relates to the era's established craft traditions. Consider the labor involved, from the mining of the silver to the hand-crafting of the decorative case. Though photography would eventually lead to mass production, here, it served as a bespoke service for a clientele seeking to preserve their likeness in a rapidly changing world. By considering the materials and processes used in its creation, we gain a deeper appreciation for the daguerreotype as more than just a photograph, but as a crafted object embedded in the social and economic realities of its time.