Dog-type : amours de chiens, chiennes d’images et types ordinaires dans le daguerréotype américain

This article seeks to elucidate the phrase “dog-type” as applied colloquially to the daguerreotype in several American sources of the mid-19th century. After a glimpse at the photographic representation of animals in the medium’s first decades, I sketch out the role of the dog figure in American dag...

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Main Author: François Brunet
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association Française d'Etudes Américaines 2012-05-01
Series:Transatlantica
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/5521
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author François Brunet
author_facet François Brunet
author_sort François Brunet
collection DOAJ
description This article seeks to elucidate the phrase “dog-type” as applied colloquially to the daguerreotype in several American sources of the mid-19th century. After a glimpse at the photographic representation of animals in the medium’s first decades, I sketch out the role of the dog figure in American daguerreotype portraiture. This is followed by a close reading of a story published in 1849 by T.S. Arthur and the adjoining illustration, showing a “sitting” session at the daguerreotypist’s, and featuring in prominent position a dog. This dog seems to acknowledge the humiliation of his master by the process and thus to suggest a social interpretation of the daguerreotype portrait protocol. I conclude with a lexicological and contextual analysis of the phrase “dog-type” and its various possible meanings, whether satirical or not.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 1765-2766
language English
publishDate 2012-05-01
publisher Association Française d'Etudes Américaines
record_format Article
series Transatlantica
spelling doaj-art-15f5ee50003f485e921dcad39a962b532025-01-30T10:45:02ZengAssociation Française d'Etudes AméricainesTransatlantica1765-27662012-05-01210.4000/transatlantica.5521Dog-type : amours de chiens, chiennes d’images et types ordinaires dans le daguerréotype américainFrançois BrunetThis article seeks to elucidate the phrase “dog-type” as applied colloquially to the daguerreotype in several American sources of the mid-19th century. After a glimpse at the photographic representation of animals in the medium’s first decades, I sketch out the role of the dog figure in American daguerreotype portraiture. This is followed by a close reading of a story published in 1849 by T.S. Arthur and the adjoining illustration, showing a “sitting” session at the daguerreotypist’s, and featuring in prominent position a dog. This dog seems to acknowledge the humiliation of his master by the process and thus to suggest a social interpretation of the daguerreotype portrait protocol. I conclude with a lexicological and contextual analysis of the phrase “dog-type” and its various possible meanings, whether satirical or not.https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/5521portraitdaguerreotypedog“dog-type”animal photographyT.S. Arthur
spellingShingle François Brunet
Dog-type : amours de chiens, chiennes d’images et types ordinaires dans le daguerréotype américain
Transatlantica
portrait
daguerreotype
dog
“dog-type”
animal photography
T.S. Arthur
title Dog-type : amours de chiens, chiennes d’images et types ordinaires dans le daguerréotype américain
title_full Dog-type : amours de chiens, chiennes d’images et types ordinaires dans le daguerréotype américain
title_fullStr Dog-type : amours de chiens, chiennes d’images et types ordinaires dans le daguerréotype américain
title_full_unstemmed Dog-type : amours de chiens, chiennes d’images et types ordinaires dans le daguerréotype américain
title_short Dog-type : amours de chiens, chiennes d’images et types ordinaires dans le daguerréotype américain
title_sort dog type amours de chiens chiennes d images et types ordinaires dans le daguerreotype americain
topic portrait
daguerreotype
dog
“dog-type”
animal photography
T.S. Arthur
url https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/5521
work_keys_str_mv AT francoisbrunet dogtypeamoursdechienschiennesdimagesettypesordinairesdansledaguerreotypeamericain