Getty Museum

[Portrait of a Seated Man Holding a Key]

Date

about 1844

Medium

Daguerreotype

Culture

American

Department

Photographs

Institution

Getty Museum

People often chose to be photographed with objects that defined who they were or how they wished to be seen. This sitter, with his muttonchop whiskers and elegant dress, clutches his coat lapel with his left hand. In his right hand, which rests on a chair back, he holds a rather large key, yet the style of his clothing does not suggest that he was a locksmith. The significance of the key no longer unlocks the mystery of its holder's identity, which has been lost over time.

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