Lot 15

Lot 15

Exceptional pair of 1840’s European quarter-plate daguerreotypes of a wife and an occupational of her husband in their original frames. We can’t quite decipher part of the woman’s hallmark, but the stamp on the husband’s image is 30 on one side and FC on the other. According to Gabriele Chiesa & Paolo Gosio’s research on hallmarks, this was found on an Italian daguerreotype. Regardless of their origin, the simplicity of these portraits is divine. The thinly striped background behind the gentleman’s portrait is effortless yet perfectly complements the strong tones the daguerreotypist achieved. He holds a crudely tinted caliber suggesting a number of possibilities as a profession. His wife is posed in front of the same backdrop, yet there seems to be some movement as the fabric is slightly distorted without the linear features. The tonal quality is also a little more subdued yet provides a lovely contrast. She holds a single crudely tinted red rose. Both are dressed in elegant formal outfits that fit that European 1840’s time period. Both daguerreotypes are in excellent condition with some light buffing lines seen at an angle as is the case with these earlier plates. These had the original seals still attached and we opened them to replace the old worn glass. The woman’s paper mat has some toning while her husband has some pinprick spots. They are presented in matching wood frames with the hanger still attached and ready for your wall.