Portrait of an unidentified mother and son

In this portrait, parts of the woman’s bracelet, ring, brooches, and necklace have been scored by Thomas Easterly to emulate their reflective elements, and her son wears a coat that has been colored with blue pigment. Embellishments were part of Easterly’s practice once he had mastered the process of gilding the image with a solution of gold chloride, allowing the photograph to be artistically colored to better represent the subject. This technique may have been used to distract the viewer from the sullen look on the boy’s face.

Object Title and Accession Number

Portrait of an unidentified mother and son. Daguerreotype by Thomas M. Easterly, 1850–1870. N17382.