Material: Case ~ Black Leather & Wood, Image ~ On Metal Covered w/ Glass
Size: Case ~ 3 & 5/8 x 3 & 1/8 inches, Image ~ apx. 3 & 1/4 x 2 & 3/4 inches
Quantity: 1
An interesting early daguerreotype photograph of a woman and three children, c. early
1860's. The woman has a black/dark mourning style ring on her right hand and her
left hand is bare, likely indicating that she is a widow, possibly due to the Civil
War. She appears to be wearing a hoop skirt, which is appropriate for the period.
The case, which I believe is wood or similar material, is covered in a thin layer
of embossed black leather or possibly paper/fabric. Case front is decorated with
an unusual gold design; a figure of a man, possibly a sailor, is climbing a flagpole.
He has something in his hand, maybe a hammer? The American flag depicted on the
flag pole has 34 stars, which indicates a time period in American history of apx
1861 - 1863. The Civil War began in 1861.
To try and determine exactly what type of image was enclosed I carefully removed
it from the case and found that the photo is on some kind of very tarnished metal
plate. Folded around the image is a shiny, embossed gold mat, decorated with flowers
and scrolls. Glass is placed on top of the mat, followed with another narrower,
more rosy gold mat, that is decorated with feathers and stars.
Back cover is lined inside with black paper which remains quite firmly adhered, so
we did not attempt to remove or disturb.
Front cover holds burgundy velvet, stenciled
or cut with a decorative pattern.
Front and back cover have separated from each other, however this is just a cosmetic
issue, with no damage to the actual case, just the material covering the wood. A
few threads remain, as if the two sides were attached via some kind of fabric, so
I believe it likely that someone who understands the construction could reattach
/ restore the case. Otherwise it is in quite good condition, with just some slight
edge wear in two small places on front cover; one apx. lower center edge and one
lower left. Both parts of the hook and eye type clasp remain and work well.
The
dag itself appears to be in quite good condition. When I took photographs of this
item I had not yet removed the backing. When I did, I found a great deal of lint/fuzz
stuck to the glass that covers the dag, so I carefully wiped free as much as I could
dislodge with a dry cloth, however I did not touch the image. The glass still looks
somewhat smudged and dirty, but I will leave further cleaning to someone who knows
the appropriate method. Once some of the dust was removed the appearance of the image
improved significantly, however I did not retake photos. You can see some of this
dust on the dag in my 2nd & 3rd images, however most of this is gone now and the
dag appears crisper and somewhat clearer, however I believe this will improve even
more once glass is thoroughly and properly cleaned. I do not see any big spots or
blems on the daguerreotype.
Velvet inside front cover remains in quite good condition,
free of stains, tears, etc..
Please review images and if we have failed to include
some significant information please email and we will do our best to provide clarification.
