Untitled (Portrait of a Man)

1879

Untitled (Portrait of a Man), 1879. Etienne Carjat (French, 1828–1906). Photograph on enamel in copper alloy frame with velvet liner; overall: 7.7 x 6.2 cm (3 1/16 x 2 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John Cook Memorial Fund 2017.8.1 Celebrated Parisian portrait photographer Etienne Carjat established his reputation through celebrity portraiture but his mainstay was images of middle- and upper-class sitters like this couple, presumably husband and wife. Seeking images more permanent than those made on paper, they paid extra to have their portraits vitrified on enamel. The process yields exquisitely detailed, durable images that appear as fresh as the day they were delivered to the sitters’ hands.