[Frederick Richard Pickersgill] 1860s

This 1860s carte de visite photograph by John and Charles Watkins depicts Frederick Richard Pickersgill, a prominent figure in 19th-century British art. The image, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, captures Pickersgill in a seated pose, his distinguished appearance emphasized by his formal attire and the elegant setting. The photograph showcases the Watkins brothers' skill in capturing the likeness and personality of their subjects, a defining characteristic of portrait photography during this period. The carte de visite format, popular in the mid-19th century, allowed for the mass production and distribution of small-scale portraits, enabling individuals to share and collect images of prominent figures.