Untitled (Portrait of Sarah Preston)

Art Historical Context

In the 1850s, at the of photography's golden age, L. H. Hale captured *Untitled (Portrait of Sarah Preston using the daguerreotype process—a groundbreaking technique invented by Louis Daguerre in 1839. This, intimate portrait (14 × .8 cm plate) a finely detailed positive image on a silvered copper plate, housed in an ornate protective case measuring 15 × 11.8 × 2 cm when closed. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago Photography and Media department, it exemplifies early portrait photography's precision and realism, where every subtle expression and texture gleams with mirror-like clarity. Daguerreotypes were the first publicly available photographs, revolutionizing portraiture by making professional likenesses affordable and accessible beyond elite painters. No negatives meant each image was a unique original, often treasured as personal heirlooms in elaborately tooled cases like this one. Sarah Preston's poised gaze reflects mid-19th-century conventions of formal portrait sitting—steady poses under brilliant light to combat the medium's long exposure times of minutes. This artifact highlights photography's cultural shift from handcrafted art to mechanical reproduction, bridging painting traditions with modern media. Visitors will appreciate its delicate beauty, a window into everyday lives frozen in shimmering silver.