[Boy in a Library, Holding a Daguerreotype]
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.The boy in this picture clutches a cased image to his chest, as if to illustrate his affection for the subject depicted within. Daguerreotypes were a novel form of handheld picture, portable enough to slip into a pocket or palm. Portraits exchanged between friends and family could be kept close—a practice often mimed by sitters, who would pose for one daguerreotype while holding another.
Artwork Details
- Title: [Boy in a Library, Holding a Daguerreotype]
- Artist: Unknown (American)
- Date: 1850s
- Medium: Daguerreotype with applied color
- Dimensions: Image: 3 1/4 × 2 3/4 in. (8.3 × 7 cm)
Case (closed): 3 11/16 in. × 3 3/16 in. (9.3 × 8.1 cm)
Case (open, approx): 3 11/16 in. x 6 3/8 in. - Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: William L. Schaeffer Collection, Promised Gift of Jennifer and Philip Maritz, in celebration of the Museum's 150th Anniversary
- Object Number: L.2019.57.20
- Curatorial Department: Photographs