Self-portrait

Artist John Adams Whipple (American, 1822 - 1891)

Dateca. 1850

MediumDaguerreotype

DimensionsPlate (half): 5 1/2 × 4 1/4 inches (13.97 × 10.8 cm)
Case (open): 6 × 9 1/2 × 3/8 inches (15.24 × 24.13 × 0.95 cm)
Case (closed): 6 × 4 3/4 × 5/8 inches (15.24 × 12.07 × 1.59 cm)

Credit LineGift of Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Object number2005.27.16

Signednone

InscribedOn paper liner behind plate, center, in black pen: " [possibly "...MMe Walchin / Camden / Dr Smary"]

MarkingsOn paper liner behind plate, upper right, in pencil: "#6"

On View

Not on view

Collections

Photography

Terms

DescriptionImage of man (self-portrait of John Adams Whipple) with disheveled hair and short beard wearing suit. This half plate cased daguerreotype in housed in an oval brass mat inside of a case with a floral motif and an embossed red velvet liner.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Developing Greatness: The Origins of American Photography, 1839-1885. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, June 9 – December 30, 2007, no. 26.

Gallery Label

As daguerreotypy advanced in the 1840s, specific cities emerged as centers for the growing profession. In Boston, Massachusetts, John Adams Whipple operated one of the city’s most successful studios. This self-portrait shows Whipple well-dressed, dignified, and at the height of his professional career.

Provenance

Given by Hallmark Cards, Inc. to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2005.

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