The Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery has made a significant acquisition: the earliest known photograph of a U.S. First Lady. The recently rediscovered Daguerreotype features Dolley Madison, wife of President James Madison. The museum secured the piece for more than $450,000 at auction.
The photo, believed to date from 1846, depicts Dolley Madison in her later years. “It is exciting to see the earliest known photograph of a First Lady, Dolley Madison, join the earliest known photograph of an American President, John Quincy Adams, in the National Portrait Gallery’s collection,” said Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian. “This artifact will provide the Smithsonian another opportunity to tell a more robust American story and illuminate the vital role women like Madison have played in the nation’s progress.”
Ann Shumard, who curates photographs for the National Portrait Gallery, highlighted the importance of the acquisition. “The acquisition of the daguerreotype of Dolley Madison gives us an incredible opportunity to explore the richer and more nuanced story of her life,” she said. “[The photo] helps us situate her in antebellum American society and certainly what that entailed as a Southern slaveholder.”
The unique quarter-plate daguerreotype of Dolley Madison was captured by John Plumbe Jr. in the late spring or early summer of 1846 when she was in her late 70s. Plumbe, an English emigrant who arrived in America in 1821, delved into photography professionally in 1840 and established studios in over a dozen cities. Apart from the portrait of Madison, he also created the earliest known photographic record of the U.S. Capitol before its iron dome construction in 1846.
via The Smithsonian
Dolley Madison played a pivotal role in shaping the role of First Lady, as The Smithsonian notes. “Dolley Madison is celebrated in many quarters as the first person to occupy the role of first lady at the White House,” Shumard told NPR. She was known for her social gatherings, which brought together people from different political parties. “It was very much her effort to bring together the conflicting parties in a sort of nonpartisan environment,” Shumard explained. This was really something new at the White House and in Washington.
The photograph won’t be on display until 2026, but it joins the National Portrait Gallery’s collection of nearly 230 portraits of First Ladies. You can still see it online before it goes on display.
[via NPR]
