Untitled (Portrait of Two Girls) 1865

"Untitled (Portrait of Two Girls)" is an 1865 daguerreotype, a photographic process popular in the mid-19th century, by an unknown artist. It captures two young girls, one slightly older and wearing a plaid dress, the other younger and in a dark dress. The image is framed within an oval, which was a common compositional choice for daguerreotypes, and is mounted in an elaborate frame with a velvet lining. This intimate portrait, now housed at the Art Institute of Chicago, provides a glimpse into the lives of two young people in the mid-19th century.