Untitled (Portrait of a Man) 1847

This untitled portrait of a man is a daguerreotype, created by Southworth & Hawes, eminent practitioners of this early photographic process. The daguerreotype emerged in the 1840s, during a period of significant social and technological change. This portrait is a window into the visual culture of the time, capturing the likeness and, perhaps, aspirations of its sitter. The subject is a man in a dark suit and bow tie, his expression suggesting a certain sternness, a common trope in early portraiture where long exposure times dictated a need for stillness. Consider the cultural implications of the photographic portrait at this time. For the burgeoning middle class, it offered a new means of memorializing themselves and their loved ones. Yet, access was still largely determined by class and race, rendering many invisible in the visual records of the era. What stories remain untold behind those who could not afford or access such technologies? This daguerreotype, as a historical artifact, allows us to reflect on the complex interplay between identity, representation, and the socio-economic structures of the nineteenth century.