Anonymous American Photographer

sixth-plate daguerreotype, with hand-tinting, sealed, cased, circa 1850

This exquisitely-rendered portrait - that includes the accoutrements of the vanitas portrait - is exceptional for its unusual subject and for its high level of detail. Remarkable care has been taken in arranging this memento mori tableau. The skull (a common vanitas symbol), detached jaw, and small devilish figure (possibly the top of a cane) are rendered with great clarity. The distinguished sitter, finely suited in jacket, vest, and bowtie, rests his arm upon a leather volume. His large white top hat sits upside down on the botanically-patterned tablecloth, the details of which have been heightened with rose-colored tinting. This plate is in generally very good condition. Tarnish is visible intermittently at the periphery of the mat. Dust and possibly tiny adhesions appear to be trapped between the plate and the glass. Upon close examination, faint scratches are visible primarily in the lower portion of the plate. The intact brittle paper seal is old, possibly original.
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