Anonymous American Photographer

quarter-plate daguerreotype, hand-tinted, cased, late 1840s

Stanley B. Burns, Oncology: Tumors & Treatment A Photographic History, Volume 1 (New York: The Burns Archive Press, 2004), pl. 1

Stanley B. Burns, Mirror Mirror: The Burns Collection Daguerreotypes (New York: The Burns Archive Press, 2012), pl. 106

This handsome quarter-plate daguerreotype conveys exceptional detail. The confident yet casual pose of the sitter is of particular interest, as is the fine detail of his hands. The sitter's shirt is tinted in blue. Individual surgical instruments are rendered with great clarity in the case by the sitter's arm. There is some characteristic tarnish at the edges of the mat. Upon close inspection, several rust-colored spots are visible, notably in the lower half of the image. As is visible in the catalogue illustration, there is a tiny accretion with halo in the area of the sitter's vest. Very minor hairline scratches are only visible overall in high raking light.
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