Photography afforded a small degree of immortality to an entire class
of people who had never before dreamed of having a portrait made. This woman’s
loved ones surely prized the daguerreotype as a record of her features and as a reminder of her skill, working
with four needles, perhaps to knit a bonnet like the one she wears. The
daguerreotypist has added color to her face and hands for a more lifelike
appearance.