Whether the subject was a U.S. president or an unidentified commoner, these Mathew Brady photos are breaking down in gorgeous ways.
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1 of 34Former president Andrew Jackson, 1845.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 2 of 34The Scarlet Letter author Nathaniel Hawthorne, circa 1850-1855.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 3 of 34Unidentified woman in theatrical costume, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 4 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1850-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 5 of 34Concert singer Emma Gillingham Bostwick, circa 1851-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 6 of 34Crucifix, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 7 of 34Framed painting of unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 8 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 9 of 34Washington Irving, author of “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” circa 1855-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 10 of 34General Giuseppe Garibaldi, who played an essential role in the formation of Italy, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 11 of 34Senator and former secretary of state Henry Clay, circa 1844-1852.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 12 of 34Army officer Ichabod Crane, likely the namesake of the protagonist in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” circa 1844-1857.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 13 of 34President James Buchanan, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 14 of 34Congressman Israel T. Hatch,circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 15 of 34Circus performer Charles Sherwood Stratton, a little person better known as General Tom Thumb, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 16 of 34Army officer James Bankhead, circa 1844-1856.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 17 of 34Benjamin B. French, half-length portrait, facing left, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 18 of 34Army officer John M. Washington, circa 1844-1853.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 19 of 34Congressman Joshua R. Giddings, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 20 of 34Judge Ogden Edwards, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 21 of 34Painting of man with beard wearing ruff, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 22 of 34Two unidentified children, circa 1850-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 23 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 24 of 34Unidentified woman with spectacles, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 25 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 26 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 27 of 34Senator Roger S. Baldwin, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 28 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 29 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 30 of 34Unidentified man,circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 31 of 34Unidentified portrait, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 32 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 33 of 34Unidentified elderly woman with cap, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 34 of 34Like this gallery?Share it:
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33 Mid-19th Century Photographs Decaying In Beautiful And Haunting Ways View Gallery
Between 1844 and 1860, so-called father of photojournalism Mathew Brady created hundreds of daguerreotypes of presidents, politicians, soldiers, and the upper crust of American society in Washington, D.C., and at his highly successful and influential studio in New York City.
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1 of 34Former president Andrew Jackson, 1845.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 2 of 34The Scarlet Letter author Nathaniel Hawthorne, circa 1850-1855.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 3 of 34Unidentified woman in theatrical costume, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 4 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1850-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 5 of 34Concert singer Emma Gillingham Bostwick, circa 1851-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 6 of 34Crucifix, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 7 of 34Framed painting of unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 8 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 9 of 34Washington Irving, author of “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” circa 1855-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 10 of 34General Giuseppe Garibaldi, who played an essential role in the formation of Italy, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 11 of 34Senator and former secretary of state Henry Clay, circa 1844-1852.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 12 of 34Army officer Ichabod Crane, likely the namesake of the protagonist in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” circa 1844-1857.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 13 of 34President James Buchanan, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 14 of 34Congressman Israel T. Hatch,circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 15 of 34Circus performer Charles Sherwood Stratton, a little person better known as General Tom Thumb, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 16 of 34Army officer James Bankhead, circa 1844-1856.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 17 of 34Benjamin B. French, half-length portrait, facing left, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 18 of 34Army officer John M. Washington, circa 1844-1853.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 19 of 34Congressman Joshua R. Giddings, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 20 of 34Judge Ogden Edwards, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 21 of 34Painting of man with beard wearing ruff, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 22 of 34Two unidentified children, circa 1850-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 23 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 24 of 34Unidentified woman with spectacles, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 25 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 26 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 27 of 34Senator Roger S. Baldwin, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 28 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 29 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 30 of 34Unidentified man,circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 31 of 34Unidentified portrait, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 32 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 33 of 34Unidentified elderly woman with cap, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 34 of 34Like this gallery?Share it:
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37 Haunting Portraits Of 19th Century Mental Asylum Patients
The Smithsonian Just Acquired Rare 19th-Century Portraits By America’s First Black Photographers
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1 of 34Former president Andrew Jackson, 1845.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 2 of 34The Scarlet Letter author Nathaniel Hawthorne, circa 1850-1855.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 3 of 34Unidentified woman in theatrical costume, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 4 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1850-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 5 of 34Concert singer Emma Gillingham Bostwick, circa 1851-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 6 of 34Crucifix, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 7 of 34Framed painting of unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 8 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 9 of 34Washington Irving, author of “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” circa 1855-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 10 of 34General Giuseppe Garibaldi, who played an essential role in the formation of Italy, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 11 of 34Senator and former secretary of state Henry Clay, circa 1844-1852.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 12 of 34Army officer Ichabod Crane, likely the namesake of the protagonist in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” circa 1844-1857.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 13 of 34President James Buchanan, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 14 of 34Congressman Israel T. Hatch,circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 15 of 34Circus performer Charles Sherwood Stratton, a little person better known as General Tom Thumb, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 16 of 34Army officer James Bankhead, circa 1844-1856.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 17 of 34Benjamin B. French, half-length portrait, facing left, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 18 of 34Army officer John M. Washington, circa 1844-1853.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 19 of 34Congressman Joshua R. Giddings, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 20 of 34Judge Ogden Edwards, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 21 of 34Painting of man with beard wearing ruff, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 22 of 34Two unidentified children, circa 1850-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 23 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 24 of 34Unidentified woman with spectacles, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 25 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 26 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 27 of 34Senator Roger S. Baldwin, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 28 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 29 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 30 of 34Unidentified man,circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 31 of 34Unidentified portrait, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 32 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 33 of 34Unidentified elderly woman with cap, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 34 of 34Like this gallery?Share it:
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37 Haunting Portraits Of 19th Century Mental Asylum Patients
The Smithsonian Just Acquired Rare 19th-Century Portraits By America’s First Black Photographers
40 Chillingly Beautiful Abandoned Photographs
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1 of 34Former president Andrew Jackson, 1845.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 2 of 34The Scarlet Letter author Nathaniel Hawthorne, circa 1850-1855.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 3 of 34Unidentified woman in theatrical costume, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 4 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1850-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 5 of 34Concert singer Emma Gillingham Bostwick, circa 1851-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 6 of 34Crucifix, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 7 of 34Framed painting of unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 8 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 9 of 34Washington Irving, author of “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” circa 1855-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 10 of 34General Giuseppe Garibaldi, who played an essential role in the formation of Italy, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 11 of 34Senator and former secretary of state Henry Clay, circa 1844-1852.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 12 of 34Army officer Ichabod Crane, likely the namesake of the protagonist in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” circa 1844-1857.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 13 of 34President James Buchanan, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 14 of 34Congressman Israel T. Hatch,circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 15 of 34Circus performer Charles Sherwood Stratton, a little person better known as General Tom Thumb, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 16 of 34Army officer James Bankhead, circa 1844-1856.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 17 of 34Benjamin B. French, half-length portrait, facing left, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 18 of 34Army officer John M. Washington, circa 1844-1853.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 19 of 34Congressman Joshua R. Giddings, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 20 of 34Judge Ogden Edwards, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 21 of 34Painting of man with beard wearing ruff, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 22 of 34Two unidentified children, circa 1850-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 23 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 24 of 34Unidentified woman with spectacles, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 25 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 26 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 27 of 34Senator Roger S. Baldwin, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 28 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 29 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 30 of 34Unidentified man,circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 31 of 34Unidentified portrait, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 32 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 33 of 34Unidentified elderly woman with cap, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady 34 of 34Like this gallery?Share it:
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1 of 34Former president Andrew Jackson, 1845.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
2 of 34The Scarlet Letter author Nathaniel Hawthorne, circa 1850-1855.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
3 of 34Unidentified woman in theatrical costume, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
4 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1850-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
5 of 34Concert singer Emma Gillingham Bostwick, circa 1851-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
6 of 34Crucifix, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
7 of 34Framed painting of unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
8 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
9 of 34Washington Irving, author of “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” circa 1855-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
10 of 34General Giuseppe Garibaldi, who played an essential role in the formation of Italy, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
11 of 34Senator and former secretary of state Henry Clay, circa 1844-1852.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
12 of 34Army officer Ichabod Crane, likely the namesake of the protagonist in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” circa 1844-1857.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
13 of 34President James Buchanan, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
14 of 34Congressman Israel T. Hatch,circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
15 of 34Circus performer Charles Sherwood Stratton, a little person better known as General Tom Thumb, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
16 of 34Army officer James Bankhead, circa 1844-1856.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
17 of 34Benjamin B. French, half-length portrait, facing left, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
18 of 34Army officer John M. Washington, circa 1844-1853.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
19 of 34Congressman Joshua R. Giddings, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
20 of 34Judge Ogden Edwards, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
21 of 34Painting of man with beard wearing ruff, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
22 of 34Two unidentified children, circa 1850-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
23 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
24 of 34Unidentified woman with spectacles, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
25 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
26 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
27 of 34Senator Roger S. Baldwin, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
28 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
29 of 34Unidentified man, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
30 of 34Unidentified man,circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
31 of 34Unidentified portrait, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
32 of 34Unidentified woman, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
33 of 34Unidentified elderly woman with cap, circa 1844-1860.Library of Congress/Mathew Brady
34 of 34Like this gallery?Share it:
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33 Mid-19th Century Photographs Decaying In Beautiful And Haunting Ways View Gallery
33 Mid-19th Century Photographs Decaying In Beautiful And Haunting Ways View Gallery
33 Mid-19th Century Photographs Decaying In Beautiful And Haunting Ways View Gallery
33 Mid-19th Century Photographs Decaying In Beautiful And Haunting Ways View Gallery
33 Mid-19th Century Photographs Decaying In Beautiful And Haunting Ways
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But because the daguerreotype method — exposing highly polished and fumed silver in a camera and then sealing the results behind glass — was cheaper than painted portraits, many common folk could also afford to have their likeness captured in such a manner.
Regardless of the wealth of the subject, Brady couldn’t prevent the highly sensitive daguerreotype from decaying if the image was mishandled or exposed to the elements.
Even an innocent thumbprint or the lightest of scratches will linger forever on a daguerreotype. And if unsheathed in extreme temperatures, they may become adulterated beyond recognition, resembling spooky 21st-century horror movie posters or frenetic mid-20th century abstract expressionist paintings more than somber, mid-19th century monochrome portraits.
Starting in the 1850s, far less-sensitive ambrotypes and tintypes, which were also cheaper and easier to manufacture, began to crowd the daguerreotype out. By the 1870s, the method was almost abandoned completely.
Of the thousands of daguerreotypes created by Brady and his acolytes during this short time, many have been well-preserved, giving us some of the earliest photographic likenesses of luminaries such as Abraham Lincoln and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” author Washington Irving.
But many more were either lost to time or forever altered through carelessness or a sense of thrift (gardeners, in particular, were fond of re-purposing the glass for their greenhouses).
The gallery above features a selection of Mathew Brady daguerreotypes housed in the Library of Congress that are, arguably, no worse for their extreme wear. There is a literal decay of the original image, true, but what results is a flourishing of a new, unintended form, beautiful and haunting in its rhapsodic takeover of the oblivious subject underneath, and no less rewarding for its accidental conception.
Enjoy early photography like the above from Mathew Brady, especially if it’s a little spooky? Try a gallery of Victorian-era portraits that reveals why the subjects typically didn’t smile.
