Portrait of a Woman
c. 1850
Medium
daguerreotype with applied color
Dimensions
image (visible): 5.1 × 3.9 cm (2 × 1 9/16 in.) mat: 5.8 × 4.5 cm (2 5/16 × 1 3/4 in.) case (closed): 7.4 × 6.2 × 1.8 cm (2 15/16 × 2 7/16 × 11/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ross J. Kelbaugh Collection, Purchased with support from the Ford Foundation
Accession Number
2023.39.17
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate *Portrait of a Woman* by James Presley Ball, pioneering African American photographer, captured around 1850 as a daguerreotype with applied color This intimate 5.1 × 3.9 cm image, housed in a compact leather case, exemplifies the era's miniature portraiture, treasured as personal keepsakes by middle-class families. James Presley Ball, one of first Black daguerreotypists in the United States, opened studios in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, where he documented free Black communities and abolitionist leaders amid rising tensions before the Civil War. His mastery of the daguerreotype—a mirror-like silver-plated process invented in 1839—produced sharp, detailed likenesses, here enhanced by hand-applied pigments for lifelike warmth on cheeks and lips, blending photography's precision with painting's artistry. This rarity from the National Gallery of Art's Ross J. Kelbaugh Collection highlights early photography's role in preserving identity and dignity, especially for marginalized subjects. Ball's work challenged racial barriers, making this portrait a window into 19th-century resilience and innovation. (178 words)