Rachel
Painted portraits have always been in high demand, but during the 1840s and 1850s the new technology of the daguerreotype became the chief art in the market. Developed in France by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre in the 1830s, the daguerreotype was “an early form of photography” (Pohl). This new experiment in the arts was “introduced in 1839 to the United States by none other than Samuel Morse. …Morse did not see the daguerreotype as ‘the ruin of art’ but, rather, as an aid for both artists and critics in learning how to look at nature, which could be captured in all its detail” (Pohl). The popularity of the daguerreotype increased as people “were now drawn to this new black and white medium, which was able to capture an even greater degree of likeness for even less money, with a stiffness of pose” that was so similar to the poses necessary for painted portraits (Pohl). For the first time in decades the most popular art form, the daguerreotype, was available to both rich and poor.
The next prominent artist was Mathew B. Brady, a student of art at the National Academy of Design (Pohl). The attached daguerreotype of Samuel Morse captured in 1845 depicts his “left hand resting on his newly invented telegraph” (Pohl) while he gazes away from the photographer. Identical to the posture of painted portraits, Morse’s stance—stiff, proper and aloof—still carries the connotation of aristocracy, even though daguerreotypes became astonishingly affordable. This new development in technology advanced society in a different manner; rather than erasing class divisions or defining them further, the daguerreotype both smoothed the field and categorized everyone in an aristocratic manner. Because all social classes could afford daguerreotypes, the wealthy no longer had artistic privileges as daguerreotypes could now appear in any household. As the Industrial Revolution finally reached the Americas, so did a new process called glass negatives. Developed in the 1850s, glass negatives “allowed for sharper and more stable images” (Pohl) which ultimately caused the demise of daguerreotypes.
Works Cited
Pohl, Frances K. Framing America: A Social History of American Art. New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 2002.
Images Cited
"Samuel Morse." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Aug. 2012. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Morse>.
Painted portraits have always been in high demand, but during the 1840s and 1850s the new technology of the daguerreotype became the chief art in the market. Developed in France by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre in the 1830s, the daguerreotype was “an early form of photography” (Pohl). This new experiment in the arts was “introduced in 1839 to the United States by none other than Samuel Morse. …Morse did not see the daguerreotype as ‘the ruin of art’ but, rather, as an aid for both artists and critics in learning how to look at nature, which could be captured in all its detail” (Pohl). The popularity of the daguerreotype increased as people “were now drawn to this new black and white medium, which was able to capture an even greater degree of likeness for even less money, with a stiffness of pose” that was so similar to the poses necessary for painted portraits (Pohl). For the first time in decades the most popular art form, the daguerreotype, was available to both rich and poor.
The next prominent artist was Mathew B. Brady, a student of art at the National Academy of Design (Pohl). The attached daguerreotype of Samuel Morse captured in 1845 depicts his “left hand resting on his newly invented telegraph” (Pohl) while he gazes away from the photographer. Identical to the posture of painted portraits, Morse’s stance—stiff, proper and aloof—still carries the connotation of aristocracy, even though daguerreotypes became astonishingly affordable. This new development in technology advanced society in a different manner; rather than erasing class divisions or defining them further, the daguerreotype both smoothed the field and categorized everyone in an aristocratic manner. Because all social classes could afford daguerreotypes, the wealthy no longer had artistic privileges as daguerreotypes could now appear in any household. As the Industrial Revolution finally reached the Americas, so did a new process called glass negatives. Developed in the 1850s, glass negatives “allowed for sharper and more stable images” (Pohl) which ultimately caused the demise of daguerreotypes.
Works Cited
Pohl, Frances K. Framing America: A Social History of American Art. New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 2002.
Images Cited
"Samuel Morse." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Aug. 2012. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Morse>.