What Dolley Madison Really Looked Like

Only four Dolley Madison daguerreotypes are known to exist today. This one, owned by the Chazen, was created in 1846. Baker/Pisano Photograph Collection

In 2012, the Chazen Museum of Art acquired what might turn out to be a very valuable bit of photographic history. The museum received the Baker/Pisano Photograph Collection, and included among its images is a daguerreotype of Dolley Madison, wife of the nation’s fourth president.

First the good news: the daguerreotype of Madison may be one of the oldest photos of an American First Lady — making it a pricey bit of history. When a similar image was sold at auction in 2024, it fetched $456,000.

Now the bad news: when the daguerreotype came to the Chazen, it was initially believed to have been shot by legendary photographer Mathew Brady. It’s now unclear if that is correct: Madison’s clothing and pose seem to match the auctioned daguerreotype, which was created by John Plumbe, an early photography enthusiast. The Chazen’s picture may have come from Plumbe’s studio as well.

But this isn’t certain. “There are differences between the two photos,” says James Wehn, the UW’s Van Vleck Curator of Works on Paper. “For example, I noticed the shawl’s pattern seems to be the same but is draped differently. … More research would need to be undertaken before updating the attribution of the Chazen’s example, if appropriate.”

An example of a daguerreotype camera. Getty/Science & Society Picture Library

The daguerreotype photographic process uses silver-plated copper and mercury vapor to make images. A subject often had to sit very still for several minutes, facing into the sun, to create a detailed portrait.

Dolley Madison’s husband, James (namesake of Wisconsin’s capital), served as president from 1809 to 1817, and Dolley established many traditions we associate with the role of the First Lady.

Only four Dolley Madison daguerreotypes are known to exist today. The Chazen’s was created in 1846, when Madison was 78. The daguerreotype process had been invented in 1839, meaning this image is among America’s oldest photos in general.

The Chazen’s photograph is part of the museum’s permanent collection, and it can be seen online at chazen.wisc.edu.

Published in the Spring 2025 issue