Name/Title
Roderick MathesonEntry/Object ID
967.11.1Description
Roderick Matheson
This daguerreotype is of Roderick Matheson as an older man, probably in his late 60's or early 70's. He is facing right and wearing a suit. It is in a plain black leather case and opens to show Roderick framed in an oval gilded metal mat. The inside of the facing cover is padded with faded plum coloured velvet. The face has been faintly coloured with pink and is recognizable, but the torso part has decomposed as daguerreotypes have a habit of doing when exposed to too much light.
This is a photographic process used especially for portraits which employs a silver or silver-coated plate, sensitized with Iodin-vapour. The image was developed by fumes of mercury and fixed by a treatment in a solution of sodium hyposulfite. This was one of the earliest processes of the art (1839) now superseded. It's inventor was Louis J. M. Daguerre (1789 - 1851).Dimensions
Dimension Notes
Length: 6" (15cm)
Width: 3/4" (12cm)