Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image: 7.2 x 5.3 cm (2 13/16 x 2 1/16 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Gift of The Howard Gilman Foundation, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.337
Tags
Art Historical Context
This small gelatin silver print from around 1844 offers a compelling portrait of Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, the French artist and inventor whose work transformed visual culture. Standing just over two by two inches, the image captures Daguerre with quiet dignity, reflecting the intimate scale often favored in early photographic portraits. Though the artist remains unknown, the work belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Photographs collection, acquired through the Gilman Collection in 2005. Daguerre’s own innovations, particularly the daguerreotype process introduced in 1839, made pho...
About the Artist
Unknown|Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...