[Self-portrait of Antoine François Jean Claudet and his son Henri Posed with His Invention, The Focimeter]

Antoine Claudet

about 1851–1853

Stereographic daguerreotype

J. Paul Getty Museum

Two men, one seated and one standing, are posed in a studio setting with ornate furnishings and drapery. The seated man holds a book, while the standing man holds a circular object with intricate patterns. Two men, one seated and one standing, are posed in a studio setting with ornate furnishings and drapery. The seated man holds a book, while the standing man holds a circular object with intricate patterns. Antoine Claudet, who learned the daguerreotype process from Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre himself, poses with his son Francis in the richly appointed studio setting that was a trademark of his stereographic portraits. The lush detail of tasseled curtains, parrot, decorated vase, and focimeter--a device to measure distance in order to determine focus--undoubtedly provided a striking effect when the image was viewed in three dimensio