Samuel Finley Breese Morse, Samuel Finley Breese Morse, 1840

Daguerreotype of morse in paris. While the inscription on verso reads: "this daguerreotype of father was taken in paris in 1840 by daguerre himself" this is not a daguerreotype and it is not possible to identify with certainty that the photographer was louis jacques mandé daguerre. Appears to lack the detail of a daguerreotype copy and too young for morse. Morse wrote in 1841 "the snow is upon my temples". This type of photograph would have been made c 1850 when morse was approaching 60 years of age. It does not reconcile with the loc c 1845 image of morse. Perhaps it is a son of morse whose morse's younger daughter would not have known. Date: 1840. Dimensions: 12 x 8 cm. Medium: black and white photographic print. Collection: Archives of American Art. Samuel Morse 1840