Child Standing on a Chair Holding Flowers, with Mother

Until the mid-1850s the daguerreotype process was the method preferred by the commercial photographers willing to meet the ever-growing demand for likenesses of family and friends. This daguerreotype captures the patience of a mother and child, who were required to hold their poses for some time during the exposure of the silver-coated copper plate. Only the bouquet of flowers held by the child is slightly blurred. Characteristic of the technique, the details in the image—fabric, facial features, and accessories—are clearly defined.