The seller I purchased this from was all about the very rare, (no other examples found) c 1855 hanging quarter plate gutta percha thermoplastic frame, with leaves and flowers in the corners, original brass liner, and original hanging loop. I, however, am all about her! The daguerreotype has been wiped and, as the seller pointed out, perhaps a bit too much cleaned, leaving the image a bit light. For me, however, this makes it feel more like a photograph of a painting, or even of a ghost, existing in a sort of in between world, which seems all the more apt because I believe the subject is in mourning--holding a union case with one hand in her lap, of a lost loved one I would presume, likely her husband. And of course I love the self-reflexivity of that--a daguerreotype photo of a woman holding a daguerreotype. Plus that wonderfully crisp pot of flowers at near left, and tasseled curtain just behind it, and the lace of her collar, and sheerness of her sleeves, and beautifully sober expression. Feels like a whole novel.
5 1/4" x 4 3/4" framed; quarter plate oval cut daguerreotype. As note, daguerreotype exhibits surface wipes and is a bit light, but I think shows very beautifully, and feels quite otherworldly.
