Morton McMichael (1807-1879) sat for this daguerreotype portrait in the late 1840s. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1827, but spent his professional career as an editor of various Philadelphia newspapers including the Saturday Courier, the Saturday Gazette and the North American and United States Gazette. He also held various political posts in the city including alderman, county sheriff, mayor (1866-1869) and served as the first president of the Fairmount Park Commission.

The following people correctly identified the sitter:

Julian and Lois Brodsky
Neil K. Fitzgerald