Anonymous American Photographer

quarter-plate daguerreotype, sealed, cased, circa 1850s

As visible in the catalogue illustration, there are a number of greenish accretions on the plate, and an area of cloudiness in the lower left quadrant. Some of the visual 'noise' one sees in the illustration is due to residue on the underside of the original cover glass, and not to accretions on the plate. On the subject's shirt, which is very slightly solarized, is an area of slightly warm-toned discoloration. This does not appear to be the sort of tarnishing one typically sees on daguerreotypes, and may possibly be some residual chemistry from processing. These issues do not significantly obscure the details of this wonderful daguerreotype, nor do they undermine the impact of the image. The plate has its original—or, at least, a 19th-century—paper seal. The back of the plate is coated with red adhesive, originally used to hold the plate in place during the polishing process.
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This fascinating daguerreotype, of a man outfitted with a variety of scientific apparatus and outdoorsman's accoutrements, is filled with detail.  The tubular leather case resting between his legs, the long leather sheath or holster on his belt, and the gun and satchel on the table beside him, are all rendered in great detail, as is his clothing, including his high-waisted striped trousers.  

The tubular case likely contains a mountain barometer, a delicate instrument consisting of a mercury-filled glass tube, used to take barometric readings in the field.  The subject, who regards the camera with a steady gaze, is clearly equipped for specialized work in the field.  The presence of the pistol suggests the dangerous—or, at least, unpredictable—nature of his trade.  One can speculate that he was a surveyor, or held some other technical position, on one of the several geological surveys of the American Western frontier in the 1840s or 1850s.