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National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.81.95
Exhibition Label
The American concert tour (1850–52) of “Swedish Nightingale” Jenny Lind spawned a huge market for merchandise associated with the celebrated singer. Among the most popular items were inexpensive portrait prints that could be framed and displayed in the homes of her many admirers. This lithograph reproduces a daguerreotype likeness of Lind created by the Root brothers—a portrait that also circulated in the form of copy daguerreotypes, such as the one included in this exhibition. Because daguerreotypes were prized for their accuracy, prints based on daguerreian images were thought by the public to be superior to other representations.
La gira norteamericana (1850–52) del “ruiseñor sueco”, Jenny Lind, generó un mercado enorme de artículos relacionados con la celebrada cantante. Entre los más populares estaban unas copias baratas de su retrato que los admiradores podían enmarcar para exhibirlas en sus hogares. Esta litografía es copia de un daguerrotipo de Lind tomado por los hermanos Root (retrato que también circuló en copias daguerrotípicas como la que incluimos en esta exposición). Dado que los daguerrotipos eran apreciados por su fidelidad, las impresiones basadas en imágenes daguerrotípicas se consideraban superiores a otros tipos de retrato.
