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While most people are aware that the oldest photograph of a sitting U.S. president is James K. Polk's portrait, taken by Matthew Brady in 1849, another image from three years prior by John Plumbe Jr. has recently come to light. Plumbe, a Welsh immigrant, began his career as a civil engineer before transitioning into photography in 1840.

After witnessing the work of a traveling daguerreotypist in Washington, DC, he quickly immersed himself in the emerging craft. By 1841, Plumbe had established his first photography studio in Boston, which eventually expanded into a network of over twelve portrait and daguerreian galleries across major U.S. cities, earning him the nickname "the American Daguerre."

In 1846, Plumbe captured the image of President Polk and his cabinet shortly after the declaration of war on Mexico, which has become the oldest surviving photograph of a sitting U.S. president and the earliest photographic record of the White House interior. It is also noteworthy that Plumbe pioneered a commercial practice that is still used by professional studios today: branding the daguerreotypes produced through his various studios with his own name, regardless of who actually made them.

Several notable early photographers and daguerreotypists trained, worked, or honed their skills in Plumbe's galleries, including William Shew, Samuel Masury, and Plumbe's brother, Richard Plumbe. However, it was Plumbe's practice of tagging all images with the name "Plumbe" that ensured his brand became more recognizable than the individual photographers. By doing so, Plumbe not only documented a moment in history but also built a photography brand long before anyone else.