Portrait of a Man in a Dressing Gown, anonymous, c. 1850 - c. 1860

daguerreotype, hand-coloured, h 153mm × w 122mm More details

The sitter, wearing a patterned pink dressing gown, sprawls unabashedly in a green velvet armchair. He smokes a pipe and gazes out confidently at the photographer. This is not a portrait of a spouse or a loved one, but rather an apt characterization of a dandy, exactly as found in caricatures or fashion prints. The gold border is the perfect finishing touch.