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National Portrait Gallery Buys Oldest Photo of US First Lady

The auction company said the photo was discovered when its sellers were cleaning out a basement after a relative had died. (Photo by Sotheby's)
The auction company said the photo was discovered when its sellers were cleaning out a basement after a relative had died. (Photo by Sotheby's)
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National Portrait Gallery Buys Oldest Photo of US First Lady

The auction company said the photo was discovered when its sellers were cleaning out a basement after a relative had died. (Photo by Sotheby's)
The auction company said the photo was discovered when its sellers were cleaning out a basement after a relative had died. (Photo by Sotheby's)

The Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery has purchased what is believed to be the earliest ever photo of a US first lady.

The daguerreotype - an image created through the first photographic process - shows former First Lady Dolley Madison, the wife of the fourth US president, James Madison, BBC reported.

The photograph, discovered recently, likely dates back to 1846, the museum said.

The Smithsonian Institution purchased the daguerreotype for $456,000 (£356,000) at a Sotheby's auction in June.

The portrait is "one of exceedingly few surviving photographs of the woman who has defined for two centuries what it means to be the First Lady of the United States of America", Sotheby's said in a statement.

 

 

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Escaped Otter is Home Safe but US Zoo Says her Pal is Still on the Loose

The two North American river otters escaped two weeks ago from the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Reuters
The two North American river otters escaped two weeks ago from the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Reuters
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Escaped Otter is Home Safe but US Zoo Says her Pal is Still on the Loose

The two North American river otters escaped two weeks ago from the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Reuters
The two North American river otters escaped two weeks ago from the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Reuters

Ophelia the escaped zoo otter is back home but Louie remains elusive — perhaps in search of a mate.
The two North American river otters escaped two weeks ago from the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Ophelia was captured Friday night, the zoo said in a Facebook post.
Her return was kept under wraps until Tuesday while she was held for observation. A veterinarian’s examination Monday cleared her for return to her enclosure, The Associated Press reported.
However, she “may not always be visible to guests,” the zoo said. “Ophelia has always been a bit shy and enjoys tucking into things to take naps throughout the day.”
The mammals escaped through a hole in a fence during a snowstorm.
Louie remains on the lam. “This is otter breeding season and we expect that, as a male otter, Louie is likely ranging a bit further from home than Ophelia did.”
It's unlikely Louie is too far away, the zoo said. Otters are territorial creatures.
He's undoubtedly safe — otters are native to the area — and poses no harm to humans.
The zoo has had help from a tracker, motion-activated cameras and reports from residents who see the critters, particularly those who are able to take photos or video of the animal.