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Ezra Otis Kendall daguerreotype, 1839

Permanent ID:
2552
Date:
1839
Image Description:
Image: 1/4 plate; Seated man with hair parted on one side and covering his ears, wearing a dark coat over a jacket with brass buttons, a vest, and a white shirt, with collar turned down over a dark tie.
Preserver: Gilded leather-covered wood-frame.
Plate: Pure silver (no copper).
Mat: Ink trimmed paper.
Case: Very rare marbled paper-covered wood-framed drawer style.
Comments and References: "The identification and attribution of this plate is based on the reference to Johnson's portrait of 'Dr. Kennedy, the principal of the Polytechnic Institute,' as being 'the earliest daguerreotype portrait from life, taken in Philadelphia' (Root, 'Camera and Pencil', p. 358). There is no record of a Dr. Kennedy or a Polytechnic Institute in Philadelphia, but Kendall was on the faculty of the Philadelphia Central High School, which was a polytechnic, in 1839. Later photographs of Kendall in the University of Pennsylvania Archives compare very favorably to this likeness." (Stapp, William F. "Robert Cornelius: Portraits from the Dawn of Photography." Smithsonian Institution Press: City of Washington. 1983. Page 47.)
Exhibition History: "Robert Cornelius: Portraits from the Dawn of Photography," mounted at the National Portrait Gallery and open to the public October 20, 1983 through January 22, 1984.
Inscription:
(typed): Ezra Otis Kendall by Walter R. Johnson / Historical Society of Penn (Label applied to exterior of housing)
Format:
Daguerreotype
Dimensions:
Width: 7.2 cm, Height: 9.6 cm (image)
Width: 2 27/32 in, Height: 3 25/32 in (image)
Width: 9.7 cm, Height: 11.8 cm, Depth: 1.5 cm (case)
Width: 3 13/16 in, Height: 4 21/32 in, Depth: 19/32 in (case)
Collections:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania Treasures Collection
Historical Society of Pennsylvania cased photographs collection
Related People or Organizations:
Johnson, Walter Rogers (photographer)
Ezra Otis Kendall, 1818-1899 (depicted)
Library of Congress Subjects:
Daguerreotype [sh85035408]
Portrait photography [sh85101240]