[Dog]
In announcing the daguerreotype process to the public in August 1839, even so eager a promoter as François Arago felt compelled to admit that the process was unlikely ever to serve for portraiture, owing to the length of exposure, which in bright summer sun lasted four-and-a-half to eleven minutes and in subdued winter light an hour or more. The free use of Daguerre's process, however, invited optical and chemical improvements that made portraiture feasible and widespread within a mere two years. Among those who enhanced the sensitivity of daguerreotype plates by new chemical means was Louis-Auguste Bisson, whose label on the verso of this work advertises "Daguerreotype portraits in shade, indoors, and in a few seconds, perfected." Even more than a standard portrait, this daguerreotype is a tour de force of instantaneity, for the panting dog, its tongue hanging out of its mouth, could neither be instructed to sit still nor be physically held in a metal neck brace, a common studio prop for immobilizing human sitters.
This unassuming portrait of a pet, humorously presented as if in his doghouse, was made by Bisson for his childhood neighbor and surrogate sister Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899). After the death of her mother, eleven-year-old Rosa had been welcomed into the home of Mme Bisson, the mother of Louis-Auguste and his two brothers, and there she earned her first wages as an artist coloring the heraldic engravings of M. Bisson. By the time she was in her twenties Bonheur was a highly acclaimed painter of animal scenes. No doubt part of the vast menagerie that she kept at her house, this dog is presented by Bisson in a familiar--even familial--way rather than as a photographic study intended to aid the artist's work.
This unassuming portrait of a pet, humorously presented as if in his doghouse, was made by Bisson for his childhood neighbor and surrogate sister Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899). After the death of her mother, eleven-year-old Rosa had been welcomed into the home of Mme Bisson, the mother of Louis-Auguste and his two brothers, and there she earned her first wages as an artist coloring the heraldic engravings of M. Bisson. By the time she was in her twenties Bonheur was a highly acclaimed painter of animal scenes. No doubt part of the vast menagerie that she kept at her house, this dog is presented by Bisson in a familiar--even familial--way rather than as a photographic study intended to aid the artist's work.
Artwork Details
- Title: [Dog]
- Artist: Louis-Auguste Bisson (French, 1814–1876)
- Date: 1841–49
- Medium: Daguerreotype
- Dimensions: 7.6 x 10.3 cm (3 x 4 1/16 in.)
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Gilman Collection, Purchase, Jennifer and Joseph Duke Gift, 2005
- Object Number: 2005.100.28
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Louis-Auguste Bisson
ca. 1842
Louis-Auguste Bisson
1841–48
Félix-Jacques-Antoine Moulin
ca. 1850
Marie-Charles-Isidore Choiselat
Stanislas Ratel
1844
Baron Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gros
1850–57
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.