Collect24The Global Art Registry
Unknown, [Postmortem Portrait of a Baby]
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles · Digital image courtesy of Getty's Open Content ProgramView original →
Unknown

[Postmortem Portrait of a Baby]

1856–1860

Current Collection

J. Paul Getty Museum

Los Angeles, United States

Medium
Daguerreotype, hand-colored
Dimensions
6.5 × 8.3 cm
Status
In Museum Collection
Collect24 Art ID
C24-533426

Posed as if sleeping peacefully, this baby holds a tiny sprig of flowers. Sensitively photographed images of their deceased loved ones helped families preserve their memories in a vivid but discreet way. "Secure the Shadow 'ere the Substance Fade," a popular advertising slogan, reminded customers that a daguerreotype portrait would last forever. The large number of postmortem portraits of children gives the slogan special poignancy, a sad reminder of the high mortality rates in the 1800s, particularly for children.

Provenance

The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Registry history

  • 1856–1860 — Recorded in the collection of J. Paul Getty Museum — photographs

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