Untitled (Portrait of a Standing Man with Top Hat) 1855

This portrait of a standing man with a top hat is a photograph made with the daguerreotype process. It's an early photographic process, and each plate is a unique image on a silvered copper plate. The creation of daguerreotypes required a labor-intensive process. The photographer needed to be skilled in sensitizing, exposing, and developing the plate, which involved precise chemical treatments. The surface of the daguerreotype is like a mirror; the image appears because of the mercurial fumes. Consider also the sitter’s clothes, which indicate a certain degree of financial security. The photograph itself would have been something of a luxury. So, this object speaks to the rise of a middle class, and the technology that enabled its self-representation. When you consider the social context and modes of production, photography is about more than just an aesthetic experience, it is a product of the time.