Portrait of a boy

Artist Mathew B. Brady (American, 1823 - 1896)

Dateca. 1850

MediumDaguerreotype

DimensionsPlate (half): 5 1/2 × 4 1/4 inches (13.97 × 10.8 cm)
Case (closed): 6 1/16 × 4 3/4 × 3/4 inches (15.4 × 12.07 × 1.91 cm)
Case (open): 6 1/16 × 9 5/8 × 3/8 inches (15.4 × 24.45 × 0.95 cm)

Credit LineGift of Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Object number2005.27.25

SignedEmbossed inside case on velvet liner, in center: "BRADY'S GALLERY / 205 & 207 / BROADWAY NEW YORK."

Inscribednone

MarkingsOn modern paper seal, in pencil: "NO PLATE MFG'S MARKS / REGLAZED, SEALED W/FILMOPLAST P-90 TAPE / 5-26-2005 GSW (PREVIOUSLY SEALED 1-30-1986 / 428-13-98"

On View

Not on view

Collections

Photography

Terms

DescriptionImage of a seated boy with head resting on hand wearing jacket with prominent buttons. This half-plate cased daguerreotype is housed in a decorative brass mat inside of a unadorned paper covered wooden case with a metal latch and a button release case with an embossed red velvet liner.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Art and the Empire City: New York, 1825-1861. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, September 19, 2000- January 7, 2001, no 171.

Developing Greatness: The Origins of American Photography, 1839-1885. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, June 9 – December 30, 2007, no. 41.

Gallery Label

The young boy in this portrait, likely the son of a wealthy family, exudes an air of obstinacy and self-assurance. Mathew Brady often posed his subjects to emulate precedents in painted portraiture and was celebrated for the fine detail and artistry of his plates. His New York studio attracted a wealthy and illustrious clientele.

Provenance

Hallmark Cards, Inc., Kansas City, MO, 1998;
Given by Hallmark Cards, Inc. to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2005.

Published References

Mary Panzer, Mathew Brady and the Image of History (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997); and "Still Taking Pictures," New York World (April 12, 1891): n.p.

Catherine Hoover Voorsanger and John K. Howat, eds. Art and the Empire City: New York, 1821-1861.New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art; New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2000. Published in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name, shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 485 (repro.), 587.

Keith F. Davis, The Origins of American Photography: from Daguerreotype to Dry-Plate, 1839-1885. With contributions by Jane L. Aspinwall. Kansas City, MO: Hall Family Foundation: in association with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2007. Distributed by Yale University Press. Published in conjunction with Developing Greatness: the Origins of American Photography, 1839-1885, shown at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 40 (repro.), 300, 301.

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.