Hitty’s Daguerreotype photo is on display in the Stockbridge Library along with her other possessions. But there are actually two different Daguerreotypes: the real one in the library and the illustrated color plate from the book Hitty: Her First Hundred Years. In the real photo, Hitty wears a brown sprigged dress (see “Hitty’s Daguerreotype Dress”) and sits next to a white vase filled with roses. The photo is black and white, but her dress and the roses have been hand-colored. Hitty’s cheeks have just a hint of pink added.
Above: Wendi’s reproduction of Hitty’s Daguerreotype with Michael Langton Hitty (left) and Hitty Sis (right).
Did you know that Hitty’s photo is not a true Daguerreotype? I consulted with the curators at the Stockbridge Library, and they informed me that the photograph was printed on photo paper from the 1920s and inserted into an antique frame. It seems likely that Rachel Field and Dorothy Lathrop had the photo taken of Hitty, possibly after the book became a success. Throughout this article, I will refer to this colorized photograph as “Hitty’s Daguerreotype” to simplify things.
In a true Daguerreotype, the final image appears reversed. If you look closely, you will see that Hitty’s right eye has less paint than her left eye. In real life, her left eye has the most paint loss. To see this more clearly, check out the comparison below. Hitty’s Daguerreotype is on the left. On the right, I used Photoshop to reflect the image, showing how Hitty appears in real life. Is it possible that the film negative for Hitty’s Daguerreotype was deliberately reversed to mimic an antique Daguerreotype?
What is a Daguerreotype?
The word Daguerreotype refers to a particular type of photography invented by a French scientist named Louis Daguerre. Daguerreotype photographs were made using a light-sensitive copper plate coated with silver. Exposure to mercury vapor revealed the image on the plate, which was then chemically treated to remove light sensitivity. Then the image was sealed under a glass cover. Daguerreotypes were used until the late 1850s when less expensive ambrotypes and tintypes replaced them.
The website of The Daguerreian Society is a great place to learn more about daguerreotype photos.
The Daguerreian Dandy on Facebook is another great source for period photographs. It is fun to try and guess the stories of all the people in those historic images. So much of history has been lost to time!
True daguerreotypes will reflect just like a mirror. From certain angles, the subject appears to be a negative. You can see a simulation of this effect on Sketchfab.
Daguerreotype Cases
Daguerreotypes, tintypes and ambrotypes could often be found in fancy cases with molded exteriors, lined with velvet. These thermoplastic, or “union” cases were made of a union of wood fibers and shellac. The mixture was heated and placed into molds to make the elaborate designs on the cases. Union cases were made from around 1855 to 1865.
Here is a thermoplastic case that I bought on ebay. Authentic cases, even without photos, can cost over $100. This one was less expensive because the cover glass was missing, and it was slightly warped. The case has an incredible amount of detail for its size. The exterior is 2.5″ x 3″.
This particular case displays a ninth-plate photo frame which is 2” x 2.5”. It has a paper label inside that says, “Littlefield, Parsons & Co., Manufacturers of Daguerreotype Cases. L., P. & Co., are the sole Proprietors and only legal Manufacturers of UNION CASES, with the Embracing Riveted Hinge. Patented October 14, 1856, and April 21, 1857.” On the opposite side of the frame is a dark red embossed velvet panel.
Reproducing Hitty’s Daguerreotype
I decided to make a reproduction of Hitty’s Daguerreotype using the antique union case that I purchased. First, I had a photo print made of Alice’s image of Hitty’s Daguerreotype. Then I glued it to a small piece of acid-free mat board to make it sturdier. After the glue dried, I cut an oval shape to fit inside the antique frame.
Want to make your own copy of Hitty’s Daguerreotype? Alice Swann kindly gave me permission to share these images with you.
Click here to download Hitty’s Daguerreotype Photos!
There are three different variations. One shows the complete Daguerreotype and velvet panel. One has only the photo — to insert in an antique frame. And one has the image of Hitty removed, so you can add your own doll. As an example, here is my Michael Langton Hitty in her Daguerreotype Dress.
These are all in a single .zip file, so you will need to unzip them after downloading. Then you can upload the images you want copies of to a photo printing website. Each image is a a high resolution 4”x6” photo in .jpg format. I printed mine on matte photo paper at a Walgreens store near me. That way I did not have to pay for shipping. If you have an inkjet printer, you can also print your own photos using photo paper.
The Frontispiece Daguerreotype
Compared to Hitty’s Daguerreotype, Dorothy P. Lathrop’s color illustration of Hitty from the frontispiece of the book looks somewhat different. The gold frame is rectangular instead of oval. Hitty has the same dress and pose, but she sits in front of a different vase with berries instead of roses.
Here is another lucky ebay find, which I picked up for the amazing price of only $28! This case is slightly larger, and it came with a genuine ambrotype inside. The brass frame dimensions are 2-3/4” x 3-1/4” making it a sixth-plate, a common size for Daguerreotype cases. The case is covered with red leather. Inside it has a beautiful red velvet lining. The frame looks very similar to Dorothy Lathrop’s illustration. The man’s image is still visible on the glass, although the emulsion has turned dark over time, and it has scratches on it. A name written inside the case in pencil appears to read “Oscar G. Washburn.”
I took a closeup of the brass frame so you can see it better.
I am using this frame for a new version of the frontispiece illustration. There is no need to remove the antique photo, since the illustration is done on the computer. It’s part of my ongoing project to recreate all of Dorothy P. Lathrop’s illustrations using Flat Hitty as the model. Dorothy’s original frontispiece was already in color, so I did not need to convert it from black and white. But I did enhance parts of the illustration to make it more realistic and vibrant. Here is the final result.
I hope you have enjoyed learning a little bit about antique Daguerreotype photos and their cases. Keep an eye out on auction sites, at flea markets, and in antique stores, and you might find a real photographic treasure of your own.
Special thanks to Alice Swann for sharing her image of Hitty’s Daguerreotype in the Stockbridge Library.
Sources:
“FAQ,” The Daguerreian Society. https://daguerre.org/FAQ. Accessed October 2025.
“Louis Daguerre,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Daguerre. Accessed October 2025.
The Daguerreian Dandy on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/TheDaguerreianDandyof1850. Accessed October 2025.
