This 1841 daguerreotype of Maria Edgeworth by an unknown photographer is part of the first photography display at National Gallery of Ireland until February 2. The growing photography collection is showcased with works by Irish and international photographers including Erich Hartmann, Amelia Stein, Nevill Johnson, Eamonn Doyle, Inge Morath and Jane Bown. Over the past 12 months the Gallery has acquired over 100 photographs by Irish and international photographers, ranging from the 19th century to contemporary practice.
The collection includes both vintage and modern prints and incorporates daguerreotypes, albumen prints, platinum and silver gelatin prints. In 2018, the Gallery acquired a rare example of a vintage albumen print, dating back to the 1860s, by one of the fore-runners of early photography, Julia Margaret Cameron. The distinctive work features Mary Ryan, an Irish woman who was taken in by Cameron when she was struggling to support herself in England. Maria Edgeworth was a prolific Ango-Irish writer whose works include Castle Rackrent. The daguerreotype was the first commercially successful photographic process and this one is from the collection of The National Gallery.
