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Artist
Unidentified Artist
Associated Person
Mathew B. Brady, 1823? - 15 Jan 1896
Date
c. 1853
Type
Print
Medium
Engraving on paper
Dimensions
Image: 23.2 × 16 cm (9 1/8 × 6 5/16")
Sheet: 26.5 × 18.4 cm (10 7/16 × 7 1/4")
Mat: 45.8 × 35.5 cm (18 1/16 × 14")
Topic
Symbols & Motifs\Medal
Place
United States\New York\Kings\New York
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
AD/NPG.2015.10
Exhibition Label
In 1851 Mathew Brady submitted forty-eight portrait daguerreotypes to the “Great Exhibition”—the vast international fair presented by Britain’s Prince Albert at the Crystal Palace in London. When jurors pronounced his daguerreotypes “excellent for beauty of execution,” Brady proudly claimed one of the fair’s highly coveted prize medals. Well aware of the marketing value of such an honor, Brady touted his prize in advertisements such as this full page from a business directory. Here, images of the prize medal, with its profile portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, attest to Brady’s international reputation for excellence.
En 1851 Mathew Brady remitió cuarenta y ocho retratos en daguerrotipo a la “Gran Exposición”, la abarcadora feria internacional presentada por el príncipe británico Albert en el Palacio de Cristal de Londres. Habiendo dictaminado que sus daguerrotipos eran “excelentes en su bella ejecución”, el jurado otorgó a un orgulloso Brady una de las medallas más codiciadas de la feria. Muy consciente del valor comercial de un honor como aquel, Brady publicitó el premio en anuncios como este, de página completa, en un directorio de negocios. Las imágenes de la medalla con los perfiles de la reina Victoria y el príncipe Albert dan testimonio de la reputación de excelencia que ostentaba Brady a nivel internacional.
