Untitled (Portrait of a Seated Boy with a Dog) 1859

This cased photograph of a boy with his dog was created in the United States, likely in the mid-19th century, using the daguerreotype process. Consider the image as a material object, an artifact of social relations as much as an aesthetic statement. Daguerreotypes were luxury items, affordable only to the middle and upper classes. This boy’s formal attire is another signifier of social status, while the presence of a pet suggests a sentimental culture of domesticity. The creation and display of such images were shaped by the social and economic conditions of the time. Photography studios arose in urban centers, becoming important sites for the production and circulation of images. The photographs then served to reinforce social norms and power structures. The interpretation of this photograph is necessarily historical; we need to understand its original context to grasp its meaning fully. This type of work helps us to look at how the history of photography intersects with broader social and institutional histories.