Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

[Multiple Exposures of the Moon]

Photography Studio John Jabez Edwin Mayall British
1846–52
Not on view
Eighteen tiny yet detailed impressions of the moon, captured by means of multiple exposure, dot the metal surface of this recently discovered daguerreotype. It was likely made in England by the Frenchman Antoine-François-Jean Claudet. One of the first studio daguerreotypists in London, Claudet experimented with recording ephemeral natural phenomena, including electricity, clouds captured instantaneously, and the sun viewed through fog. The plate is housed in a case bearing the 1846-52 London studio address of John Jabez Edwin Mayall, who worked as an assistant to Claudet in 1846. Claudet’s well-documented scientific experiments with photography—he exhibited a lunar daguerreotype at the 1851 Great Exhibition—make him the more likely author of this image.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: [Multiple Exposures of the Moon]
  • Artist: Antoine-François-Jean Claudet (French, Lyon 1797–1867London)
  • Photography Studio: John Jabez Edwin Mayall (British, Oldham, Lancashire 1813–1901 West Sussex)
  • Date: 1846–52
  • Medium: Daguerreotype
  • Dimensions: Plate: 2 1/2 × 2 in. (6.4 × 5.1 cm)
    Case (approx.): 5.5 × 2.5 cm (2 3/16 × 1 in.)
  • Classification: Plaquettes
  • Credit Line: The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Fund, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2019
  • Object Number: 2019.47
  • Curatorial Department: Photographs

More Artwork

More Artwork
[Middle-aged Man with Glasses Holding Pocket Watch], Antoine-François-Jean Claudet French, Daguerreotype with applied color
[Middle-aged Man with Glasses Holding Pocket Watch]
Antoine-François-Jean Claudet
1844–59
On the Wharfe, Bolton Abbey, William Callow British, Watercolor
On the Wharfe, Bolton Abbey
William Callow
September 30, 1858
[Reproduction of The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David], Unknown, Intaglio print from daguerreotype
[Reproduction of The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David]
Unknown
After Jacques-Louis-Jules David
ca. 1843
The Chess Players, Antoine-François-Jean Claudet French, Salted paper print from paper negative
The Chess Players
Likely by Antoine-François-Jean Claudet
Possibly by Nicolaas Henneman
ca. 1845
Stroh Violin, George Evans & Co. English, Mahogany and aluminum, British
Stroh Violin
George Evans & Co.
first quarter 20th century

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

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 contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.