THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
The image shows former First Lady Dolley Madison, the wife of the fourth US president, James Madison. The daguerrotype (a photograph taken by an early photographic process using an iodine-sensitized silvered plate and mercury vapour) was recently discovered and likely dates back to 1846. It was bought by the Smithsonian Institution for $456,000 (£356,000) at a Sotheby's auction in June of this year.
The auction company said the photo was discovered when its sellers were cleaning out a basement after a relative had died.
The photograph - a quarter-plate-sized daguerreotype - was taken by John Plumbe Jr when Ms Madison was in her late 70s, most likely in the late spring or early summer of 1846, according to the Smithsonian Institution. John Plumbe Jr is also known for creating the earliest known photographs of the US Capitol.
Mrs. Madison was born Dolley Payne in 1786 and in 1794 married James Madison, who served as president form 1809 to 1817. The photograph of his wife joins the National Portrait Gallery's collection of around 230 portraits of first ladies.
