The Portraits and Daguerreotypes of Edgar Allan Poe

A collection of over 70 portraits and daguerreotypes representing all of the known authentic likenesses of Edgar Allan Poe, as well as many of the derivative portraits and engravings produced since the poet's death in 1849. Deas divides his study into two main sections, the first dealing with portraits and daguerreotypes taken from life. Each likeness is represented by a reproduction, accompanied by a detailed history of the picture's ownership, an account of Poe's circumstances at the time of the sitting, and a brief biography of the artist. The second section, "Apocryphal Portraits", is structured much like the first section but covers a wider array of images: book engravings, derivative portraits (those copied from life portraits), and fraudulent portraits. Included are works by renowned artists and photographers such as Henri Matisse, Edouard Manet, Timothy Cole, and Matthew B. Brady. The book also contains a chapter on lost portraits and an appendix on the portraits of Poe's wife and cousin, Virginia Clemm Poe.