Anonymous American Photographer

quarter-plate daguerreotype, with gilt-detail, cased, 1850s

This is a thoroughly impressive daguerreotype in terms of both its image quality and condition. Close examination reveals that the gold nuggets within the miner's pan have been carefully highlighted with gilt. Every aspect of the image is in sharp focus, and the plate itself is essentially in excellent condition. When the plate is examined closely, a few tiny rust-colored or green accretions can be seen on the plate, but these are all minor and can only properly be seen under magnification. There is minor tarnishing around the edges of the image.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The daguerreotype offered here is a quintessential portrait of an American gold miner, a 'Forty-Niner,' one of the many adventurous men who traveled to California in search of riches in the late 1840s and 1850s.  He is shown here with standard mining tools: a pickaxe and a pan, in which several nuggets of gilt-detailed gold can be seen.  The discovery of gold in California at John Sutter's timber mill in January of 1848 irrevocably changed the physical and cultural landscape of the United States.  The rumor of gold was enough to bring thousands to California, and many made fortunes simply by picking up the surface accumulation of gold from streambeds, crevices, and under boulders, using the simplest of tools, such as those held by the miner in this daguerreotype.  In December of 1848, President James K. Polk spoke officially of the riches to be found in California and legitimized the adventurous desires of many to go west.  His words unleashed a migration unlike anything the young nation had yet seen.  Towns and businesses grew up to serve this new population of miners.  San Francisco, Sacramento, and Benicia grew from sleepy trading settlements into cities overnight.  A handful of photographers had also made the journey west, and photographed in the towns and at 'the diggings.'