Divine Boston style half-plate daguerreotype of a family of five.  In a sign of the times the father poses rather stiffly beaming with an air of confidence but also exhibits that deer in the headlights stare we often see from this period.  The attractive mother on the other hand is quite relaxed with the hint of a grin on her face.  While he wears a standard formal suit she is fashionably attired with a gorgeous plaid dress highlighted with a fur drape.  Her hair has been artfully styled in long ringlets with her hat expertly decorated with lace accents and a few subtly but perfectly placed flowers.  Their children are quite precious to say the least and they certainly could be professional models exhibited by their natural and casual poses.  The little girl’s face on the left is priceless with wide eyes and a sense of curiosity of the activity in the room.   She holds a small case to entertain herself but it certainly doesn’t seem necessary.  The young boy in the middle has beautiful long ringlets matching his mom’s hair.  He also seems quite fascinated with the ongoing noise however he seems to be soaking in every moment and maybe a future photographer in the making!  The oldest boy snuggles into pop and we have a feeling he has been through photographic process a few times before.   The image is in very good plus condition with fantastic tones and contrast.  There are some subtle hints of red and yellow tinting on the boys plaid dress in the center with light highlights to the faces.   There are a few small mat marks on the extreme perimeter as seen.  There are some extremely small spots on the fathers coat and vest with two miniscule green spots on the mothers drape and one in the top background.  We have resealed the image with a new glass.  It is housed in a black Boston styled pushbutton case.  Certainly one of the more delightful and sharp family images we have seen for a while!  – $850