[Man with Chinstrap Beard] 1840s

This daguerreotype, "Man with Chinstrap Beard," by American photographer John Plumbe Jr. (1809-1857), is a classic example of the early photographic portraiture. The image, housed in a wooden case with a velvet lining, is a small, intimate portrait capturing a man in a formal pose, his gaze directly towards the viewer. The subject's chinstrap beard, a popular style of the 1840s, hints at the era. This daguerreotype, now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, is a testament to Plumbe's pioneering work in the emerging field of photography.