Lot 12

Lot 12

Great sixth-plate daguerreotype identified with a period handwritten note as “William Henry Smock, Grandma Stouts brother.” This image is also brass mat marked for Clark, New Brunswick. According to Craig’s Registry this would have been David Clark, listed as “a Daguerreian in New Brunswick, N.J., 1853-1855. He exhibited at the New York Crystal Palace in 1853. In 1855 he was listed at the “City Daguerreian Gallery”, 11 Peace Street. He advertised he had “long been known…” An interesting additional feature is that the image has C.40 in a diamond hallmark and Rinhart’s list this plate mark as unknown. Is it possible that Clark produced his own plates? William Henry Smock’s genealogy is readily available. He was born in New Jersey in1818 and died there in 1899. His family lived in Piscataway, NJ and in the 1870 census he was listed as a farmer. He married Mary Ann Stout, and his sister, Cornelia, joined the same family when she married Mary Ann’s brother, Zephaniah Stout. William is an intense gentleman. His farm must have been prosperous as he is dressed in a nice suit with a silk vest. We love the large sweep of hair to the one side! The daguerreotype is in excellent minus condition with strong tones and contrast and some light tint to his face. The plate had old seals and we have resealed it with a new glass. It is housed in full case with matching halves with a repaired hinge. It fits perfectly but the back has a gold gilded border on the outside and the inside gilded borders are a mismatched.