Portrait of a Girl Postmortem

c. 1850

American 19th Century

Associated Names
American 19th Century

Artist

This photograph shows a young child lying down on a cushioned surface. The child is on their side with their head on the left, resting on a cushion, their arms crossed over the torso. The child has closed eyes, pale skin, and smooth dark hair, and they are wearing a light-colored, short-sleeved tan dress with what looks like a bright orange necklace around their neck. The surface they lay on is a blend of brown and blue abstract shapes. The oval photograph is surrounded by an ornate golden frame with floral motifs.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    daguerreotype with applied color

  • Credit Line

    Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund

  • Dimensions

    image (visible): 5.8 × 8.3 cm (2 5/16 × 3 1/4 in.)
    mat: 8.2 × 10.7 cm (3 1/4 × 4 3/16 in.)
    case (closed): 11.8 × 9.5 × 2 cm (4 5/8 × 3 3/4 × 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2017.36.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Richard Hart; (Hans P. Kraus, Jr., New York); NGA purchase, 2017.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2019

  • The Eye of the Sun: Nineteenth-Century Photographs from the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2019, unnumbered catalogue.

Wikidata ID

Q64144797

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