(N.B. The "Actual image size" versions assume they are being displayed on a monitor at 72 pixels per inch.
Landscapes
Seneca Falls, New York (upstream), about 1855, half plate - Unidentified Artist The St. Anthony Falls, n.d., half plate - Unidentified Artist Seneca Falls, New York (downstream), about 1855, half plate - Unidentified ArtistPortraits
Woman at a Mirror, 1856, half plate - Alexander Hesler Young Girl with Hands on Chair, n.d., whole plate - Albert Sands Southworth and Josiah Johnson Hawes Mother and Son, n.d., half plate - Unidentified Artist Boy Leaning Against Bookcase, ca. 1850, sixth plate - Unidentified ArtistOccupationals
The Staff of the Express, n.d., quarter plate - Unidentified Artist Editor, n.d., quarter plate - Unidentified Artist Woman and Child, n.d., sixth plate - Jeremiah Gurney Still Life with Pumpkin, Book, and Sweet Potato, n.d., ninth plate - Unidentified Artist
Audio
This audio is a collection of excerpts from a talk Merry Foresta, co-coordinator of the "Secrets" exhibition, gave to docents of the National Museum of American Art to prepare them for visitors to the exhibit.
All of the audio provided at this site is encoded in a program called RealAudio. Download a copy of the RealAudio player at this location.
Secrets
of the Dark Chamber (0:39)
What is the 'Dark Chamber' and the 'secret' it possesses?
America
searches (0:49)
When daguerreotypes appeared in America, the country was
experiencing its own kind of revolution and growth. Learn why America was
ready for this new technology.
Morse
meets Daguerre (1:19)
While in Paris in 1838 to secure a French patent for the telegraph,
Samuel Morse heard about Daguerre and his wonderful pictures. Listen to how
he brought the technology of the daguerreotype to America.
Daguerreotypes
(1:08)
are posed images. And because so many of their makers are unknown,
and their subjects cannot be identified, we become reliant on the autonomy
of the image itself. Portraits such as Woman Writing Letters are signals
of some larger meaning: a lover's secret message, a public announcement,
the description of thought. They embody the subject of communication itself,
which survives the lost context of the making of these images.
Two
types of daguerreotypists (1:36)
Photographers took different approaches to this new art. Find out how environment
helped to shape both the content and commerce of daguerreotypes.
Finding
its face (1:07)
Learn about the transitions of a country and this new art form.
Daguerreotypes
help to forge (1:19)
Find out how daguerreotypes went alongside pioneers as they forged westward.
Occupationals
(0:28)
Listen in as Merry describes what makes an "occupational."
Daguerreotypes
created opportunity (1:38)
Daguerreotypes strongly influenced business. Even a town was
named after them!
Past,
present, and future (1:12)
Science and art often intersect with milestones of invention. Hear how the Internet connects with the daguerreotype.
The
exhibition's design (0:51)
Exposing these sensitive and fragile objects caused great concern to
the curatorial team. Learn how they utilized a ground-breaking design using
fiber optics to bring this show to light