Anonymous American Photographer

sixth-plate daguerreotype, cased, circa 1846

Washington, D. C., National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Secrets of the Dark Chamber: The Art of the American Daguerreotype, June - October 1995

Secrets of the Dark Chamber: The Art of the American Daguerreotype (Washington, D. C., 1995), p. 121

This sixth-plate daguerreotype is in exceptional condition, and delivers up a great deal of detail. A young man is seated in the wagon, holding the reins. There is blue-green tarnish around the periphery of the image. There are several miniscule scratches in the plate along the right edge, each less than .25 cm long. There is a very light swipe along the left edge which is only visible upon close examination, and does not disturb the image. The plate lacks a seal. The case is worn and separated at the hinge.
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 laterally-reversed lettering on the wagon in this daguerreotype advertises that it is from Bradford and Gardner's Plymouth and Kingston Express company.  Founded in 1846 by Samuel Gardner, a former Boston stage driver, and Edward Winslow Bradford, a packet boat captain, the firm operated in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and served Plymouth and nearby Kingston.  According to William Thomas Davis's Plymouth Memories of an Octogenarian (1906), the firm operated under the name Bradford & Gardner for a small number of years before Gardner was bought out by Harvey W. Weston and the name was changed.      

The faux-stone structure that appears at first glance to be a feature of the express wagon, is actually a separate structure – likely another wagon – parked behind the foreground wagon.  It has been suggested that this may be the back-end of a travelling daguerreotypist's wagon.  Craig's Daguerreian Registry lists only 4 daguerreotype studios in Plymouth, and the first was established in business in 1852, likely well after the present daguerreotype was made.  So it is therefore probable that this image was made by an itinerant daguerreotypist.