Lot 2

Lot 2

Appealing quarter-plate English daguerreotype of an elder mother and her son.  This pudgy gentleman gives us a laugh as he poses like a man about town while his proper English mother sits stoically in her chair. We have a feeling she isn’t long for this world as her face is tense with a sense of pain and confusion. Still she is dressed in her finest with a large lace drape around her neck and bonnet that harkens back to a distant past. A painted portrait of her late husband at a younger age hangs around her neck. The son definitely didn’t inherit his father’s slender frame! She has an open book in her lap that is likely one of her favorites as she fiddles with her fingers. Dressed in formal attire and holding his spectacles, the son does not lack for confidence. We see a hint of a beautiful painted scene in the background with a large drape on the left. The plate is in excellent minus condition with strong tones and contrast. There are a few small spots as seen. The image had old seals intact and we have resealed it with a new glass. It is housed in a lovely full plain leather case.