Figure 1.-- We suspect that the child was afraid od a new experience, having a portrait taken. We know nothing about the family and the child is unidentified, but we would guess about 3 years old. We do not even know is if the child is a girl or boy. There are few clues. We would tend to say a boy, excepr the center part in the 1840s strongly suggests a girl. The child wears a very plain dress with a low neckline and plain pantalettes. The dress is subtly tinted. The portrait is undates, but we would guess was taken in the 1840s, but the early 50s is quite possible.

You would think that the look this kid gave the photographer would have melted his camera and sent him running from the studio, but no, he managed to get this priceless portrait of a child who does not want a portrait taken and is about to throw a tantrum. And her parents evidently paid for the image and happily took it home. We suspect that the child was afraid od a new experience, having a portrait taken. We know nothing about the family and the child is unidentified, but we would guess about 3 years old. We do not even know is if the child is a girl or boy. There are few clues. We would tend to say a boy, except the center part in the 1840s strongly suggests a girl. There are few other clues. We note books on the table, often an indicator the child is a boy, but the table is strangely separated from the child. This and the expression suggest to us that the daguerreotypist was not all that competent. The child wears a very plain dress with a low neckline and plain pantalettes. There looks to be some kind of white trim at the neckline and lace trin at the sleeves. We might have thought that the child would have been dressed up for the portrait in his or her best clothes. Having a portrait taken in the 1840s was a big event and expensive. Donr this mean that the very plain outfit seen here was the child's best outfit. If course America in the 1840s was a very different country than after the Civil War when industrialization created the wealth that brought affluence to many. The dress is subtly tinted. The portrait is undated, but we would guess was taken in the 1840s, but the early 50s is possible. We think that the short dress with pantalettes is more of a style associated with the 1840s than the 50s, but again our knowledge of the mid-19th century is still very limited. Here we welcome any insights that readers might have. The child is standing on a cane-seated chair with an interesting Hitchcock-type stencil on the back.

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Created: 7:20 PM 2/18/2007
Last updated: 7:20 PM 2/18/2007