Unidentified man, about 40 years of age and a somewhat younger woman, both in Oriental costume, full-length portraits, both seated on a carpet on the floor, the man, on the left, cross-legged, turned three-quarters to the right, holding a string of beads; the woman turned slightly to the left, wearing a beaded cap; between them is a hookah, the stem of which both are holding (detail)

Mathew Brady between 1850 and 1860
America's First Look into the Camera
Today in History May 15
LoC