Artwork Page for Portrait of a Young Man

Details / Information for Portrait of a Young Man

Portrait of a Young Man

c. 1855

America

Medium
ambrotype with hand-tinting
Measurements
Overall: 8 x 6.9 x 2.3 cm (3 1/8 x 2 11/16 x 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
The Julius L. Greenfield Photography Acquisition Fund 2022.14
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

During the first decades of photography, portraits far outnumbered every other type of image.

Description

It seemed a miracle that anyone could afford to have an accurate record of their own likeness or those of their loved ones. This portrait is an excellent example of the hundreds of thousands of portraits produced by commercial photographers in mid-nineteenth-century America. Small scale yet housed in an elaborately decorated thermoplastic case, it was intended to be carried by its owner or displayed on parlor tables or knickknack shelves.
A horizontally oriented photograph displays a hand-tinted ambrotype within an open, dark wood case. On the left, plush, deep purple velvet is embossed with a scrolling motif. On the right, an ornate gold-colored mat with floral designs frames an oval portrait of a young man with light skin tone and dark, wavy hair. He faces us wearing a dark jacket and wide bow tie, his features softly lit against a muted background.

Portrait of a Young Man

c. 1855

America

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