Portrait of an Unknown Man, Steel Engraving

A small bust-length portrait of a man with short dark hair, a high white collar and dark cravat, and a jacket with notched lapels, set in the center of a large pale sheet. The fine, delicate lines of the engraving model the face and clothing against a plain ground.

Artist

Julius Caesar Thaeter

Date

ca. 1840–1850

Medium

Steel engraving on paper

Source

Smithsonian (Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum)

Size

3037 × 4000 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Smithsonian Institution, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum