Queen Victoria (1819-1901)

This daguerreotype depicts a painting of Queen Victoria wearing her Coronation dress and crown. To draw attention to the jewellery depicted in the painting, the jewellery has been punched and painted over in gold. 

The invention of the daguerreotype marked a new and relatively easy way to produce copies of artworks, including paintings and sculptures. However, daguerreotypes of artworks prove to be relatively rare. Daguerreotypes were primarily used to make portraits of living people.