Object number1986.42.80
Portrait of a young girl
Daten.d.
Artist
Currently Unidentified
MediumAlbumen print
DimensionsImage: 3 3/4 x 2 3/4 in. (9.5 x 7 cm)
Credit LineGift of Winston and Jeffrey Adler Collection of 19th Century Photography
On View
Not on viewPeriod19th c
Classification(s)
Vassar Exhibitions
Label TextNo sooner than photography was announced as a new invention did it simultaneously become popular as an instrument of truth and a technology of deceit. There was an insatiable public appetite in the nineteenth century for both in almost equal measure. Even while photographs were examined as evidence in courtrooms and studied as scientific data, they were also used to represent fantastical subjects like ghosts and dreams. For some, this was further evidence that the camera could see in ways that the human eye could not. For others, it was a lucrative grift or a whimsical amusement. Portraits were one of the most popular uses of photography, and mothers hid behind sheets to create the illusion—however unconvincing—that their babies could sit on their own for the camera. Yet this practice persisted in spite of its absurd premise. Being deceived by the camera was not simply tolerated; it was a popular and common pastime for entertainment and intrigue.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge.
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