Portrait of His Daughter Reading 1845 - 1849

"Portrait of His Daughter Reading" is a calotype photograph by Louis-Désiré Blanquart-Évrard, created between 1845 and 1849 and currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The image captures Blanquart-Évrard’s daughter, absorbed in a book, creating an intimate and contemplative portrait. The use of the calotype process, an early photographic technique, results in a soft, slightly blurry image, giving the work a nostalgic feel. The photograph exemplifies the early development of photography as an art form, exploring both technical innovation and the depiction of everyday life.