- 48
Anonymous American Photographer
Description
- Anonymous American Photographer
- Physician with His Operative Kit
- 1/4 plate daguerreotype
Literature
Stanley B. Burns, A Morning's Work: Medical Photographs from The Burns Archive & Collection, 1843-1939 (Santa Fe, 1998), pl. 1
Catalogue Note
This exquisitely-rendered portrait of a physician with his operative instruments exhibits a remarkable level of detail. The sitter’s piercing gaze, the folds of his elegant three-piece suit, and glint of light on his satin necktie all appear with exceptional clarity. Remarkable care has been taken in arranging this tableau. The sitter rests his arm on medical dictionaries, his hand pointing down to the tools of his trade. Before the era of the hospital operating theatre, doctors carried their own instruments from patient to patient, and in the present operative roll kit we see forceps, curved scissors, curette, blades, and probe.