Woman with guitar
Case (open): 8 7/8 × 13 5/8 × 7/8 inches (22.54 × 34.61 × 2.22 cm)
Case (closed): 8 7/8 × 7 7/8 × 1 inches (22.54 × 20 × 2.54 cm)
Exhibition History
Developing
Greatness: the Origins of American Photography, 1839-1885. The Nelson-Atkins
Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 9 June – 30 December 2007, no. 136.
Rotation 5. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art,
Kansas City, MO, January-July 2009, no cat
Rotation 22. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, August 10, 2016- January 8, 2017, no cat.
Rendered with exquisite detail and artistic sensitivity, this occupational portrait exemplifies the technical mastery of daguerreotypy by the 1850s. Posing with some evidence of a sitter’s profession, skill, or talent, characterized this genre of daguerreian portraiture, which flourished during the 1840s and 1850s. For women of the middle and upper classes, musical talent was seen as a mark of cultural refinement. This portrait celebrates such ideals.
Noticeable in the woman’s face is a rosy, pink flush. Finished plates were often hand-colored by stippling dry powdered pigment directly onto the surface. Most coloration was minimal: garish applications of pigment would have reflected poorly on both the sitter and the photographer.
Given by Hallmark Cards, Inc. to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2005.