Getty Museum

[Dog sitting on a table]

Date

about 1854

Medium

Hand-colored daguerreotype

Culture

American

Department

Photographs

Institution

Getty Museum

By the early 1850s most major cities in Europe and America could boast studios specializing in daguerreotype photography. Customers sat for their own portraits and commissioned images of their family members and loved ones, including pets. Holding still for the required exposure time was not easy for humans, let alone an enthusiastic subject like this small dog, whose movement accounts for the slight blurring of his head. Given the possible outcome, however, this beloved pet behaved with admirable comportment. The tasseled fringe surrounding the table provided a decorative stage for the canine and adds to the charming whimsy of this portrait.

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