Victor Plumier
[Mother and son]

ArtistBelgian, 1821–1878
CultureBelgian
Titles
  • [Mother and son]
Date1850s
MediumDaguerreotype
DimensionsImage: 5 3/8 × 4 5/16 in. (13.7 × 11 cm)
Overall: 8 1/4 × 6 11/16 in. (21 × 17 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Krista and Michael Dumas
Object number2016.131
Not on view

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Object Type
Description

The astonishing precision of the daguerreotype—the first publicized
form of photography—enthralled the world at its introduction in 1839. Named after
inventor Louis Daguerre, the exacting process utilized silver-plated sheets of
copper developed in mercury fumes. At the height of the daguerreotype craze in
the mid-19
th century, millions of these unique objects were produced,
most of them portraits. This portrait of a mother and son was created by Victor
Plumier, one of the best and longest practicing daguerreotypists in Paris. Plumier was renowned for encouraging
natural, expressive postures in his sitters. Here, the precocious glare of the
boy is a wonderful contrast to the tender look of the mother who holds his
hand.



ProvenanceHans Gummersbach; [...]; Christopher Warner; purchased by Anthony Winston, Morgantown, West Virginia, October 1998, Daguerreian Society meeting, Rochester, New York; [Daguerreian Society auction, Pasadena, California, November 7, 2015]; purchased by MFAH, 2016.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Adhered incomplete, torn label, verso, top center: RUE VIVIENNE, 36, // A PARIS. // PLUMIER.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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