William Shew

ninth-plate daguerreotype, hand-tinted, cased, 'Wm SHEW, 423 MONTG.Y. ST., SAN FRANCISCO.' stamped on the mat, cased, circa 1852

Acquired from a private collector, California, 1980

Oakland Museum of California, Silver & Gold: Cased Images of the California Gold Rush, January - July 1998, and traveling thereafter to:

Washington, D. C., National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, October 1998 - March 1999

Sacramento, Crocker Art Gallery, August - October 1999

Stanley B. Burns, Mirror Mirror: The Burns Collection Daguerreotypes (New York: The Burns Archive Press, 2012), pl. 13

Drew Heath Johnson and Marcia Eymann, eds., Silver & Gold: Cased Images of the California Gold Rush (University of Iowa Press for the Oakland Museum of California, 1998), pl. 5

Exceptional care was taken in the execution of this handsome portrait. Blue tinting of the sitter's blouse and red tinting of the neck scarf are delicately applied. There is very faint rouge tinting on the sitter's lips. The sitter's curls are clearly defined. As is visible in the catalogue illustration, a very thin border of mottled purple tarnish is visible near the mat's oval edges. Faint rust-colored deposits are visible overall, although most pronounced in the lower portion. There are 3 white deposits or accretions of indeterminate nature on the left side in the region of the sitter's hair. There are black spots on the mat. The spine is splitting slightly on the case.
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.

After gold was discovered in California in January 1848, news quickly spread around the world and treasure seekers came to the American West by the thousands.  Sailors jumped ship from boats docked in San Francisco for the promise of fortune in the goldfields and streams.  Mexican, Peruvian, German, French, Australian, Chilean, and Chinese men, to name but a few far nations, were all drawn to California.