Anonymous American Photographer, possibly Felix Moissenet (born circa 1814) or John H. Clarke (1831-1914)

quarter-plate daguerreotype, hand-tinted, sealed, cased, 'J. H. Clark 101 Canal St. New Orleans' stamped on the velvet lining, circa 1850

Acquired from Neal Alford Auction Company, New Orleans, early 1980s

Stanley B. Burns, Mirror Mirror: The Burns Collection Daguerreotypes (New York: The Burns Archive Press, 2012), pl. 20

As is visible in the catalogue illustration, there is a profusion of hand-tinting on this attractive daguerreotype: rose-colored tinting on the children's cheeks; bright pink on the bow of the child at left; and bright pink and blue on the nursemaid's headscarf. Faint gilt detail is possibly applied to rings on the nursemaid's hand. There is a colorful border of tarnish that follows the contours of the mat; this is heaviest along the lower edge, where there are also a few small, unobtrusive scratches. Upon extremely close inspection, there is a tiny rust-colored spot on the baby's shoe near the right edge. An old or original seal is present but largely covered by a modern seal. The cover is detached but present. The case is worn overall, with small losses to the leather.
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This affecting quarter-plate daguerreotype is remarkable for its sensitive rendering of its subjects and for its exquisite, intricate hand coloring.  Vivid pigments were meticulously applied to enliven this portrait and remain noticeably intense on the nursemaid’s headdress, or tignon.

Although head wraps had been worn for centuries, the headscarf took on new meaning in late 18^th century Spanish-controlled Louisiana when the so-called ‘tignon law’ was introduced.  Women of color (both free and enslaved) were ordered to cover their hair to signal being of impure or African descent.  Elaborate and often colorful head scarfs, however, quickly became the fashion rather than a stigma, and they have been a sign of cultural heritage and resistance in the ensuing decades.

This daguerreotype has long been attributed to the New Orleans photographer Felix Moissenet (born circa 1814), who entered the daguerreian profession as early as 1843.  City directories and advertisements located Moissenet’s studio at various locations in New Orleans and New York City from 1849 to 1861.  Although Moissenet occasionally partnered with other photographers, he is not known to have been associated with ‘J. H. Clark,’ the name stamped on the velvet lining of the present case.  John Hawley Clarke (1831-1914) was a very successful daguerreotypist and ambrotypist, who cut his teeth with Marcus Aurelius Root in Philadelphia before settling in New Orleans.  Clarke’s studio is listed at 101 Canal Street from 1861 to 1864 and, following the Civil War, again from 1868 through the 1870s.  He was renowned for his photographs of children and for expert coloration of his plates.