Great sixth-plate ambrotype of a man with his best friend resting his paws upon his lap. The gentleman appears to be from the West judging by the style of his clothes and hat. The dog, a black lab or similar mix, sits faithfully while rewarded with a chin rub from his partner. The dog is resting on an interesting folk art chair with bluebells stenciled along the top. The image is in excellent condition with some toning around the perimeter. There are a few spots of black backing missing and a few more spots that are currently lifting. This does not affect this lovely piece. An archival black paper back has been added for added security and the image is housed in half of a pressed paper case. .

opening bid $180

current bid $190

Entertaining sixth-plate ambrotype of a hombre and a dude sharing a glass of beer together. The photographer must have found the beer more enticing as it is the main focus of the image and sharp and crisp in detail. He must have been dying for a drink and his subjects were an afterthought. Obviously close friends, the man on the left puts his hand on his buddy’s shoulder. The man with the beard appears befuddled by his day at the studio. Maybe he had a few too many brews before his portrait. Dressed in plain workman style clothes, the pocket on his corduroy jacket is bulging with something that can’t be identified from the small amount of detail shown. The side of the photographer’s headrest is visible to the left his head. His friend is more formally dressed in clothing more typically associated with the west. The image is in excellent condition with nice tones and contrast along with some light tinting to the men’s cheeks. There are a few light vertical lines seen on the black pants worn by the man on the left. The plate is backed by a blackened tintype and we have replaced the cover glass. It is housed in a full worn leather case.

opening bid $180

current bid $180

Commanding sixth-plate ambrotype of a possible gold miner. Seemingly quite confident, this bushy haired man with a scraggly beard stares intently at the photographer. His hands are clasped together and resting on the table next to him in this nice close view. He wears a high collar work shirt which has been tinted blue. The image is in excellent condition with nice tones and contrast along with some light tinting to his face. There is a mat mark at the bottom of the perimeter. There is one light small line on the top left which appears original to the process. It is housed in a full leather case.

opening bid $200

current bid $200

Thought-provoking half-plate California ambrotype of a couple by Wm. Shew, Montg.Y St., San Francisco, identified by a brass mat mark on the bottom left corner of the mat. What is most intriguing is that while this couple is not as small in size as say a Tom Thumb, they do appear to be very small in stature. Both seem to be seated in chairs that are low to the ground and the perspective seems odd for a photographer of Shew’s talent. The man is obviously swimming in his jacket as evidenced by the huge sleeves and the line of his shoulders. The woman on the other hand is fitted perfectly. According to Craig’s Registry, William Shew moved to California in 1850. There are conflicting reports about when he first established a business on Montgomery St. The plate has nice tones and contrast with some light tinting to the couple’s cheeks, slightly more noticeable on the man. Seen at an angle there are some brush marks visible. We have replaced the cover glass and the plate is housed in half of a damaged thermoplastic case, (Bowl of Fruit, Berg 2-2).

opening bid $250

current bid $360

Sixth-plate California Cutting’s patent ambrotype of a man by R.H. Vance, San Francisco, as identified by a brass mat stamp. A nice, sharp image of a well dressed, bearded gentleman who has a look of slight concern on his face. According to Craig’s Registry, Robert H. Vance arrived in San Francisco shortly before 1851. His gallery burned in 1851. He rebuilt it and was in San Francisco until 1860. This ambrotype is in excellent condition with tinting to the man’s face and lips. There are old seals intact, but it appears someone has applied a new black backing at some time in the past. In light and at an angle some light lines are visible where the black backing is missing. Housed in half of a leather pushbutton case.

opening bid $90

current bid $90

Wonderful quarter-plate English or Scottish ambrotype of a young boy dressed in a full traditional Scottish kilt with tartan design. His sporran, (pouch), is not visible because it is shielded by his hat (which appears to be a Glengarry style but a crest for the family is not visible) but the long fur that is supposed to adorn this accessory is quite prominent. The boy leans on a gorgeous table with a beautiful floral inlay. The bottom of the photographer’s headrest is also visible behind him. To the boy’s right is either an open window or the most realistic prop yet seen. A large house is visible in the background with trees and a white picket fence in the foreground. It is a little light to be certain; however, there appears to be a small child by the fence. The image is in excellent condition and is backed by a dark brown velvet cloth. We have replaced the cover glass and it is housed in a full leather case.

opening bid $250

current bid $400

Stunning English sixth-plate hand-painted ambrotype of a young girl, (please see the following lot for her brother). Our cute sitter stands perfectly still, resting her hand on an ornate chair. Dressed in a beautiful off –the- shoulder blue dress, her hair is styled in ringlets and tinted in a golden brown color. A red-colored necklace adorns her neck and compliments the wonderful flesh tones applied to her skin. The rest of the scene has also been over painted with lovely shades of red, light blue, green and an unusual rust hue which has been applied to the fabric of the chair. Even the rug has been colored in shades of brown, green, and red. The ambrotype is in excellent condition in a passe-partout style presentation. We have secured the image, replaced the cover glass, and added an archival backing. The complete presentation measures approximately 4 5/16” x 5 1/16”.

opening bid $200

current bid $210

Another gorgeous sixth-plate ambrotype that was purchased with the preceding lot. This is likely the young girl’s older brother, and while he is posed with a slightly different background there is no doubt that this was done by the same photographer. The young man is quite happy with his experience, evidenced by a slight grin. He is posed standing with his thumb casually tucked into his belt which suggests a sense of self confidence. Once again the photographer has used a fantastic blend of colors with exquisite detail and precision. His hair is tinted dark brown with gold highlights. He wears a vibrant blue tie and sits in a lovely green upholstered chair. The trademark red curtain is still on the left and the rust color has been applied to the tablecloth this time. The ambrotype is in excellent condition and once again presented in a passe-partout presentation. There is one small mat mark in the top right corner and two very small white spots in between the boy’s legs. We have secured the image, replaced the cover glass, and added an archival backing.

opening bid $200

current bid $200

Lovely half-plate ambrotype of a mother with her son. The self-assured, gorgeous woman wears a full length dress which has been hand tinted a very nice shade of blue. Her handsome young son is sharply dressed and equally confident, even somewhat cocky. Strongly posed in an ornate chair he stares at the photographer as if to say “you’d better do this right!” Both seem well aware of their social status and the perks that accompany it. The image is in excellent condition with very nice tones. There is one light scratch on the right, more noticeable in the tablecloth. There is some hand tinting to the faces, the jewelry has been gilded and there is a pinkish hue to the tablecloth. The blue color on the woman’s dress is lighter in some areas and there are two small darker spots of blue visible. The plate is housed in a beautiful full leather thick ambrotype case with a grape and urn design. The velvet pad is loose and there is writing on the back of the pad which reads Elvereta Welch.

opening bid $200

current bid $

Stunning oval crystoleum of a young woman. The crystoleum (preferred by the English) was a photograph that was pasted face down to the inner curve of a concave piece of glass. The paper backing on the photograph was carefully sanded away, leaving only the emulsion layer, rendered transparent by rubbing with oil or wax. The details of the photograph were then hand-colored using a fine brush. A second piece of curved glass was then placed behind the first with some type of spacer interested to keep it from touching the photograph. The two pieces of glass were bound at the edges and background areas of color were applied to the back of the second piece of glass to achieve the desired artistic effect. It appears this process began in the mid 1850’s and lasted until the early 1900’s. The young woman in this image has been expertly tinted with lovely flesh tones, brown hair, white jewelry and a brown dress. The detail is quite exquisite. The image is in excellent condition with beautiful tones. There is one very light line directly above her arm that seems to be a small flaw in the paint. This does not distract in anyway. With the gold mount the piece measures approximately 3” x 3 ¾”. It is housed in a brown leather pushbutton case which, because of the concave glass, thecase does not close.

opening bid $150

current bid $150

Ninth-plate ambrotype of a young man dressed in a long white lab coat. His profession is unclear, but it does appear that this is an occupational portrait. The image is in very good condition with nice tones and contrast along with some light tinting to the man’s cheeks. There are some scattered pinprick-sized spots. The image is housed in a full pressed-paper case.

opening bid $35

current bid $35

Two half-plate milk glass ambrotypes purchased as a pair. The image of the man contains a brass mat stamp that reads Whipple and Patent. While unmarked, it is likely that the image of the woman was also done by Whipple. According to Craig’s Registry, John Whipple was first listed in Boston in 1844. In 1852 he was awarded the gold medal for daguerreotypes at the Crystal Palace exhibition in NY. Both images are done in a vignette style, a trademark feature of Whipple’s work that we so often see in his daguerreotypes. Each image has a sepia tone and some light tinting. The woman’s plate has some toning to the tinting mostly noted at an angle. A corner of the image is missing but this is hidden by the brass mat. Both are contained in beautiful full black leather pushbutton cases with very little wear.

opening bid $250

current bid $250

Great piece of ephemera for a St. Louis photographic dealer, Edward Mead & Co. According to Craig’s Registry, Mead was first listed in St. Louis in 1851 as selling daguerreian instruments, cases, and chemicals. This particular bill of lading reads Dealers in Every Description of Photograph and Ambrotype Materials. What is interesting is that the date, March 3, 1874, is very late for the ambrotype process. The bill came to $48.10 and is signed by Mead. Pencil inscriptions on the back read glass, collodion, silver, cyanide, etc. It is in excellent condition, and has been folded in the past.

opening bid $15

current bid $30

Oval sixth-plate tintype of a man who appears somewhat awestruck. He is very nice looking but seems to have a “deer in the headlights” look to him. As an interesting addition, four oval scraps of paper - remnants of a bill of lading from W. H. Tilford, Pine and (?), were placed behind the tintype. According to Craig’s Registry, Tilford was a daguerreotypist in St. Louis as early as 1848. In 1853 he was listed between Pine and Chestnut Street. He continued to work in St. Louis until the 1870’s. The image is in excellent condition with some very light tinting to the man’s face. There are a few spots in the background. The image is housed in a fantastic red/burgundy velvet case.

opening bid $75

current bid $

Delightful half-plate tintype of an attractive woman posed with a slight smile. Her hair has been fashioned in beautiful long ringlets and she wears a lovely floor-length gown. She holds a book in her hand which has been tinted a light green. The image is in excellent condition, very bright with some light hand tinting to the woman’s face, lips and hands. There are a couple of very light lines in the background and they appear to be original to the plate. We have replaced the cover glass and the tintype is housed in a full pressed-paper case.

opening bid $90

current bid $90

Precious CDV-sized tintype of a doll posed alone on a small chair. Was the photographer being artistic or was this a gift for his daughter? This is an uncommon image in excellent condition with some extremely light surface wear as is typical with tintypes. It measures approximately 2”x 3 1/8” and all four corners have been clipped at an angle.

opening bid $90

current bid $125

Fantastic CDV-sized tintype of a store owned by a woman. A sign, which is laterally reversed, is partially visible and reads Mrs. S.B. Wo. The address is 110 and there is a sign on the door that reads This Store ... We can not quite make out the rest of the wording; however, it may be possible to determine the remaining letters with extreme magnification and better eyesight. A man with a buckboard wagon is parked in front of the store while another man steadies the horses for the photo. This was likely a delivery wagon. A woman pushing a stroller is partially visible in the left corner of the image, seemingly oblivious to her part in the photograph being taken. The front window might display linens, although this could also be the bottom lining for a display not yet finished. A plant is seen in the upstairs window. This image was taken from an upper level floor; perhaps the photographer’s studio was located directly across the street. The image is in excellent condition. It is vibrant in its appearance with very nice tones and some typical very light minor surface wear. It measures approximately 2 ½”x 3 ½”.

opening bid $85

current bid $100

Intriguing oversized quarter-plate tintype of a man on his bike posed in front of an outhouse or small shack. Mounted on the side of the building are seven tintype photos in paper sleeves: five portraits and two outdoor scenes in various sizes. The setting appears to be a rural area and there is a house or barn visible in the distant background on the right of the building. The man wears his pants cinched high above his waist and a goofy-looking hat. This is an amusing image with some light typical surface wear, one chip in the emulsion on the right perimeter and a slight amount of loss on the far left perimeter, all of which is very stable in our opinion. The image measures approximately 3 ¾” x 4 7/8”.

opening bid $150

current bid $150

Larger CDV-sized tintype of a man proudly displaying a horse while two men in suits look on. This could be a street scene; however, the location could also be a horse track. There are a number of houses in the far background while the only building visible in the foreground is an open shack seen on the right. There are two fences: a larger fence is seen by the boardwalk and a more typical barn-like rail fence is visible on the front side of the walkway. This is a very nice, clear image. There are some typical light surface marks and a couple of extremely light bends in the bottom corner areas which, in our opinion, are not a distraction. The image measures approximately 2 1/2”x 3 7/8.

opening bid $75

current bid $75

Pair of CDV-sized tintypes of sailors. One is dressed in a great outfit with anchors adorning his shirt throughout. They are even applied to his collar! He wears a sash around his waist and his hat is seen to the left on the chair. There is quite a bit of surface wear, but this is still a cool image that views well. It measures approximately 2” x 3 3/16” with two clipped corners. The other portrait shows a man sporting a different shirt and hat but a similar sash is seen around his waist. He leans on the photographer’s chair in a slightly stiffer pose. This tintype has some light surface wear and a semi-circle impression mark in the upper right corner area. It measures approximately 1 ¾” x 3 1/8”.

opening bid $35

current bid $35