Artists by Medium · Part 7 of 20
Early plate photography includes daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, and collodion positives—processes in which chemistry, exposure, and a physical plate shape the image as strongly as the camera does.
The 30 profiles below pair a source-based identity note with one item-level work record verified through The Met API. Every embedded image is marked Public Domain by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and each credit retains its object page and Open Access link.
Watch the Early Plate Photography gallery film
A 4:30 moving gallery featuring all 30 artists in this medium.
Original instrumental soundtrack created with Suno: Silvered Time.
Artists in this article
- Bautain
- Bennet
- Edward M. Tyler
- J. C. Batchelder
- John H. Fitzgibbon
- Peter Ralston
- Robert Boning
- J. Jeane
- Alexandre Bertrand
- Peter Welling
- Rufus Anson
- William Hardy Kent
- Alphonse Le Blondel
- Louis-Adolphe Humbert de Molard
- Robert H. Vance
- Samuel Broadbent Jr.
- T. R. Williams
- John Watkins
- Platt D. Babbitt
- Thomas Martin Easterly
- John Plumbe Jr.
- Gabriel Harrison
- Henry Fitz Jr.
- Andre-Victor-Alcide-Jules Itier
- Jeremiah Gurney
- Louis Dodero
- Samuel Bemis
- Félix-Jacques-Antoine Moulin
- John Jabez Edwin Mayall
- Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey
30 artists working in Early Plate Photography
1. Bautain
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Bautain in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “French.”
A representative work is [Stereograph of a Woman Wearing a Tiara and Tulle and Lace Dress, Seated Before a Mirror] (1850s). The Met catalogs it as Daguerreotype, made in Daguerreotype with applied color. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Stereograph of a Woman Wearing a Tiara and Tulle and Lace Dress, Seated Before a Mirror] by Bautain](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP700230.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
2. Bennet
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Bennet in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American, active 1840s.”
A representative work is [Boy and Girl Holding Hands] (ca. 1850). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Purchase, W. Bruce and Delaney H. Lundberg Gift, 2004. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Boy and Girl Holding Hands] by Bennet](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DT5655.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
3. Edward M. Tyler
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Edward M. Tyler in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American.”
A representative work is [Man with Mustache Wearing Oilskin Hat] (1854–55). The Met catalogs it as Daguerreotype, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Man with Mustache Wearing Oilskin Hat] by Edward M. Tyler](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP700082.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
4. J. C. Batchelder
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists J. C. Batchelder in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American.”
A representative work is [Two Men in Boxing Stance, a Third Man Adjusting One Man's Form] (1860s–80s). The Met catalogs it as Tintype, made in Tintype with applied color. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Two Men in Boxing Stance, a Third Man Adjusting One Man's Form] by J. C. Batchelder](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP700376.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
5. John H. Fitzgibbon
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists John H. Fitzgibbon in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American, ca. 1816–1882.”
A representative work is Kno-Shr, Kansas Chief (1853). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Gilman Collection, Purchase, Alfred Stieglitz Society Gifts, 2005. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
Sources: Met identity/item source
6. Peter Ralston
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Peter Ralston in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “British, born Scotland.”
A representative work is [Man with Bucket and Paint Brush] (late 1850s–60s). The Met catalogs it as Ambrotype, made in Ambrotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Man with Bucket and Paint Brush] by Peter Ralston](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP700302.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
7. Robert Boning
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Robert Boning in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “British, 1826–1878.”
A representative work is [Two Young Men in Bow Ties, One Seated Holding a Book, One Standing] (1850s). The Met catalogs it as Daguerreotype, made in Daguerreotype with applied color. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Two Young Men in Bow Ties, One Seated Holding a Book, One Standing] by Robert Boning](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP700160.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
8. J. Jeane
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists J. Jeane in the role “Artist.” The source does not supply a fuller display biography, so this profile keeps the identity context at that documented level.
A representative work is Chimney Scaffold (1860). The Met catalogs it as Tintype, made in Tintype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
Sources: Met identity/item source
9. Alexandre Bertrand
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Alexandre Bertrand in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “French, born 1822.”
A representative work is [Woman with Four Children] (1850s). The Met catalogs it as Daguerreotype, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Gift of Joyce F. Menschel, 2012. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Woman with Four Children] by Alexandre Bertrand](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP264490.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
10. Peter Welling
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Peter Welling in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American, active c. 1850s.”
A representative work is James Hyatt Inhaling Chlorine Gas (1850–55). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Gilman Collection, Museum Purchase, 2005. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
Sources: Met identity/item source
11. Rufus Anson
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Rufus Anson in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American.”
A representative work is [Dog Posing for Portrait in Photographer's Studio Chair] (ca. 1855). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Funds from various donors, 2004. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Dog Posing for Portrait in Photographer's Studio Chair] by Rufus Anson](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP120344.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
12. William Hardy Kent
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists William Hardy Kent in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American, England 1819–1907 England.”
A representative work is [Seated Elderly Woman Wearing Plaid Dress and Bonnet] (1854–60). The Met catalogs it as Daguerreotype, made in Daguerreotype with applied color. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Seated Elderly Woman Wearing Plaid Dress and Bonnet] by William Hardy Kent](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP700078.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
13. Alphonse Le Blondel
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Alphonse Le Blondel in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “French, Bréhal 1814–1875 Lille.”
A representative work is [Postmortem] (ca. 1850). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Gilman Collection, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2005. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Postmortem] by Alphonse Le Blondel](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DT5678.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
14. Louis-Adolphe Humbert de Molard
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Louis-Adolphe Humbert de Molard in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “French, Paris 1800–1874.”
A representative work is Self-Portrait (1846–47). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Gilman Collection, Purchase, Joseph M. Cohen Gift, 2005. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
Sources: Met identity/item source
15. Robert H. Vance
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Robert H. Vance in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American, died 1876.”
A representative work is [The Great Man Has Fallen] (1856). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Gilman Collection, Gift of The Howard Gilman Foundation, 2005. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[The Great Man Has Fallen] by Robert H. Vance](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP332490.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
16. Samuel Broadbent Jr.
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Samuel Broadbent Jr. in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American, 1810–1880.”
A representative work is Josiah Bunting, 85, with George M. Bunting, 17 Months (1850s). The Met catalogs it as Daguerreotype, made in Daguerreotype with applied color. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
Sources: Met identity/item source
17. T. R. Williams
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists T. R. Williams in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “British, born 1825.”
A representative work is [Still-life of Game with Rake and Onion Jar] (1854 or later). The Met catalogs it as Daguerreotype; Stereograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Still-life of Game with Rake and Onion Jar] by T. R. Williams](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP700228.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
18. John Watkins
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists John Watkins in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “British, 1823–1874.”
A representative work is [Seated Middle-aged Man in Bow Tie and Jacket] (1850s). The Met catalogs it as Daguerreotype, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Seated Middle-aged Man in Bow Tie and Jacket] by John Watkins](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP700176.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
19. Platt D. Babbitt
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Platt D. Babbitt in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American, active 1840s–70s.”
A representative work is The Niagara Falls (ca. 1850). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Gilman Collection, Museum Purchase, 2005. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
Sources: Met identity/item source
20. Thomas Martin Easterly
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Thomas Martin Easterly in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American, 1809–1882.”
A representative work is Bum-bemsue (1847). The Met catalogs it as Daguerreotype, made in Daguerreotype with applied color. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Purchase, W. Bruce and Delaney H. Lundberg and Nancy Dunn Revocable Trust Gifts, 2018. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
Sources: Met identity/item source
21. John Plumbe Jr.
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists John Plumbe Jr. in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American (born Wales), 1809–1857.”
A representative work is [Elderly Man Holding Ivory-topped Walking Stick] (ca. 1844). The Met catalogs it as Daguerreotype, made in Daguerreotype with applied color. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Elderly Man Holding Ivory-topped Walking Stick] by John Plumbe Jr.](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP700026.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
22. Gabriel Harrison
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Gabriel Harrison in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American, 1818–1902.”
A representative work is California News (ca. 1850). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographic Equipment. The item-level credit line reads: Gilman Collection, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2005. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
Sources: Met identity/item source
23. Henry Fitz Jr.
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Henry Fitz Jr. in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American, 1808–1863.”
A representative work is [Gentleman] (ca. 1840). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Gilman Collection, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2005. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Gentleman] by Henry Fitz Jr.](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP218306.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
24. Andre-Victor-Alcide-Jules Itier
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Andre-Victor-Alcide-Jules Itier in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “French, 1805–1877.”
A representative work is Monsieur Itier's Cange Under Sail on the Nile (1845–46). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Gilman Collection, Gift of The Howard Gilman Foundation, 2005. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
Sources: Met identity/item source
25. Jeremiah Gurney
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Jeremiah Gurney in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American, 1812–1895 Coxsackie, New York.”
A representative work is [Two Girls in Identical Dresses] (ca. 1857). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Gilman Collection, Purchase, Marlene Nathan Meyerson Family Foundation Gift, 2005. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Two Girls in Identical Dresses] by Jeremiah Gurney](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP110079.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
26. Louis Dodero
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Louis Dodero in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “Italian, active France, 1840s–60s.”
A representative work is [Portrait of Living Man beside Dead Man] (ca. 1850). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Fund, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2015. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Portrait of Living Man beside Dead Man] by Louis Dodero](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP700259.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
27. Samuel Bemis
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Samuel Bemis in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “American, 1789–1881.”
A representative work is [View in New Hampshire] (1840–41). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Gilman Collection, Gift of The Howard Gilman Foundation, 2005. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[View in New Hampshire] by Samuel Bemis](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP332491.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
28. Félix-Jacques-Antoine Moulin
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Félix-Jacques-Antoine Moulin in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “French, 1800–after 1875.”
A representative work is [Two Standing Female Nudes] (ca. 1850). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: The Rubel Collection, Purchase, Anonymous Gift and Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1997. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Two Standing Female Nudes] by Félix-Jacques-Antoine Moulin](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DT1154.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
29. John Jabez Edwin Mayall
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists John Jabez Edwin Mayall in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “British, Oldham, Lancashire 1813–1901 West Sussex.”
A representative work is [Seated Man Pointing to a Passage in an Open Book] (1850s). The Met catalogs it as Daguerreotype, made in Daguerreotype with applied color. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008. The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
![[Seated Man Pointing to a Passage in an Open Book] by John Jabez Edwin Mayall](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/DP700173.jpg)
Sources: Met identity/item source
30. Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey
The Met’s verified item-level constituent record lists Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey in the role “Artist.” Its fuller identity line reads “French, 1804–1892.”
A representative work is Ruins and Foreground, Acropolis, Athens (55. Athènes. 1842. Acropole. ruines et 1ers plans (pour tableau)) (1842). The Met catalogs it as Photograph, made in Daguerreotype. Its collection classification is Photographs. The item-level credit line reads: Purchase, Philippe de Montebello Fund, Mr. and Mrs. John A. Moran Gift, in memory of Louise Chisholm Moran, Joyce F. Menschel and Annette de la Renta Gifts, and funds from various donors, 2016 (2016.91). The museum marks the object Public Domain under its Open Access policy.
Sources: Met identity/item source
Method and source notes
Selection excludes the previous 600-profile series and favors less familiar names where the evidence allows. Every embedded work image in this article comes from a Met item record marked Public Domain.
