Two men with a youth,

ca. 1855–65

The ambrotype process produced unique photographs on glass, which, like the earlier daguerreotype, had to be protected inside a thermoplastic or leather case. Showing three young men dressed in rich, well-tailored fabrics and presenting themselves for the camera with pride and care, this image provides an opportunity to reflect on fashion’s role in self-presentation in mid- to late-nineteenth-century photographic portraits. Yet questions remain for the viewer: Who were these young men? What was their relationship to one another? What occasion brought them to the studio? What kind of self-image did they wish to capture for posterity?