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Artist
Unidentified Artist
Associated Person
Marcus Aurelius Root, 1808 - 1888
Samuel Root, 1819 - 1889
Date
1851
Type
Print
Medium
Engraving on paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 24.3 x 15.8 cm (9 9/16 x 6 1/4")
Topic
Commercial\Advertisement
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Larry J. West
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
AD/NPG.2007.25
Exhibition Label
When brothers Marcus Aurelius and Samuel Root announced the opening of their new daguerreian gallery in New York City in this 1851 advertisement, they seized upon the public’s desire for family portraits. Proclaiming in boldface type, “DAGUERREOTYPE PORTRAITS AND FAMILY
GROUPS,” the text goes on to note:
Heretofore an almost insurmountable obstacle has presented itself to the production of family likenesses, in regard to children. The Messrs. Root are happy to state that through an entirely new discovery of theirs, this difficulty has been overcome, as the time of sitting will not exceed two or three seconds in fair, or ten to fifteen seconds in cloudy weather.
The nature of the Root brothers’ “discovery” is not revealed. However, using an improved chemical formula to enhance the light sensitivity of their daguerreotype plates would have shortened the exposure time needed to produce a successful portrait of a restless child.
Cuando los hermanos Marcus Aurelius y Samuel Root anunciaron la apertura de su nueva galería de daguerrotipos en la Ciudad de Nueva York con esta publicidad de 1851, aprovecharon el deseo del público por obtener retratos familiares. El texto, que anuncia en negrita “RETRATOS EN DAGUERROTIPO Y GRUPOS FAMILIARES”, continúa:
Hasta la fecha, se ha presentado un obstáculo insuperable a la producción de retratos familiares, en lo que respecta a los niños. Los Sres. Root se complacen en anunciar que, por medio de un descubrimiento totalmente novedoso, han logrado superarlo, ya que la sesión no excederá los dos o tres segundos si hace buen tiempo, o entre diez y quince segundos si está nublado.
No se revela la naturaleza del “descubrimiento” de los hermanos Root. Sin embargo, la utilización de una fórmula química mejorada para aumentar la sensibilidad a la luz de sus placas para daguerrotipo habría acortado el tiempo de exposición necsario para producir con éxito el retrato de un niño inquieto.
