Portrait of Franklin Pierce by Mathew Brady

What it is

This is a studio photographic portrait of Franklin Pierce made by Mathew Brady, the leading portrait photographer of the era. The Library of Congress describes the image as a copy negative made from an original print by Brady after a daguerreotype.

Why it matters

Brady was known for photographing many major American political figures of the nineteenth century, and this portrait of Pierce is considered the best-known photographic likeness of him made during his lifetime. It shows how photography was beginning to shape public images of political leaders alongside painted portraits.

Look closer

• How does this photographic portrait compare to a painted one in the impression it creates?
• Why might a studio photographer pose a subject with books nearby?
• What does the fact that this is a copy made from an earlier image tell us about how photographs were reproduced in this period?