Three Civil-War Era Daguerreotypes

Three beautiful daguerreotypes produced just before or during the Civil War. Showing a wide variety of subjects, from very young children to middle-aged or older subjects. Includes the following:

Sixth Plate, measuring 2.75" x 3.25", No place, undated. A severe-looking middle-aged man dressed in a three-piece suit and a bow tie. Housed in a leather-bound case, decorated with a leaf and floral arrangement design.

Quarter Plate, measuring 3.25" x 4.25", no place, undated. Two very small girls are photographed sitting together in a large chair. The two are dressed in plaid and polka dot dresses. Housed in a leather-bound case. Very good.

Quarter Plate, measuring 3.25" x 4.25", no place, undated. A mature woman, dressed in a dark dress and wearing a white bonnet. Housed in a leather-bound case and missing the front cover.

Wear and scratching to the cases, with bumped edges and corners. Minor imperfections to the photographs. Some adhesive residue on the glass which may be removed. Please refer to the attached images for further condition details.

The daguerreotype process was developed by Louis Daguerre in 1839. A piece of silver-plated copper was coated in light-sensitive chemicals, which created the photographic image when exposed to light in the camera. The delicate metal would be placed under glass for protection and display. Ambrotypes were created through a similar process, the difference being that while a daguerreotype produced a positive image seen under glass, ambrotypes produced a negative image that became visible when the glass was backed by black material. An easy way to tell the difference between the two types is to remember that daguerreotypes are backed by silver, while ambrotypes are backed by a piece of glass painted black. The daguerreotype also appears to be on a mirror, so when viewing it at an angle the dark areas are silver. For an ambrotype, the dark areas remain dark even at an angle.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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