Anonymous American Photographers

one sixth-plate daguerreotype and one half-plate ambrotype, each hand-tinted, cased, 1840s-50s (2)

Stanley B. Burns, Mirror Mirror: The Burns Collection Daguerreotypes (New York: The Burns Archive Press, 2012), pl. 14

Ambrotype: The are many fine details of this plate, including the sitter's very handsome facial features, his vibrant red shirt, as well as the gold ring, belt, pocket watch chain, 'Trojan' belt, and hat. There is a thin fibrous deposit on the plate close to the lower edge. When examined in raking light, circular spots are visible in the area of the sitter's trousers.This case has a mismatched, detached cover. One of the latches for the hooks is lacking. Daguerreotype: The sitter's cheeks are blush-tinted and his shirt is tinted a robust red. There is a thick, colorful band of tarnish along the upper, lower, and right edges of the image following the contours of the mat. There are scattered small, spots, primarily within the area of tarnish, and a few faint linear scratches near the the upper right. As is visible in the catalogue illustration, a small, thin paper remnant is trapped between the plate and the glass at the upper left corner. Upon close inspection, scattered deposits, possibly fibers, are visible on the plate overall. There is a tiny mark at the center of the plate near the sitter's necktie: either a deposit of indeterminate nature, or a tiny nick to the surface of the plate. There appears to be a hazy film on the underside of the glass. There are small spots of green tarnish on the mat. The leather case is worn but intact.
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Upon close inspection, the hat worn by one of the sitters reads 'Manhattan.'