Untitled [portrait of a man and woman] 1852 - 1858

This portrait of a man and woman is a daguerreotype, made by Jeremiah Gurney, one of New York’s leading photographers, but it lacks a date. In the young United States, the new medium of photography helped to democratize portraiture. Before this, only the wealthy could afford to have their likenesses painted. But Gurney's portrait isn’t just a record of appearances. Consider the clothing, the careful poses, and the almost stern expressions, revealing much about the social values of the time. The image is housed in an ornate case. Daguerreotypes were often treated as precious objects, displayed in homes, or worn as jewelry. They were tokens of love, remembrance, or social status. To understand this image more fully, we would turn to the history of photography, social studies, and the history of American portraiture. It’s through this institutional and cultural context that we can appreciate its full historical resonance.