Found an 1850s Daguerreotype!

[UnderMiner]

Found an 1850's Daguerreotype!

Never in a hundred years did I ever expect to find something like this! An 1850's daguerreotype!
This is the oldest form of photography, first invented in 1839! This example depicts a well dressed child standing on a fancy chair.
The case is leather lined with felt, the "preserver" is thin brass, and the mat is a plain oval.
My research indicates this style dates to the 1850's, pre-Civil War! So cool!

Had so much fun researching this today.

Anyone who's ever tried to take a picture of a daguerreotype could attest to how difficult this can be.
The daguerreotype literally acts as a mirror and at some angles the picture cannot even be seen!
So I had a hard time taking these pictures, but eventually it worked out :





Apparently there was sometimes information stamped on the back of the glass plate but in order to access this I'd have to take the plate out of the case.
I don't want to damage it so I won't be doing this anytime soon. So cool to know this kid grew up during the Lincoln administration and probably had older siblings/relatives who fought in the Civil War.
Also cool to know this photo was likely taken during the time of Franklin Pierce or James Buchanan's presidency. I love history

Update: Just delicately removed the photo plate out of the case and discovered an inscription!
Maybe the first to see it in over 165 years! Any ideas as to what this trasnlates too? It doesn't appear to be English?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[basque-man]

How awesome is that!!!!! And in great shape!!!!

 

[Old Dude]

Awesome find. Yard sale? Auction?

 

[UnderMiner]

Awesome find. Yard sale? Auction?

Trash raid. Someone tossed it. Still got a whole bunch of stuff still waiting to be sorted through.
Different place from the one that netted me the gold and silver yesterday. It's been a real literal gold mine these last couple days

 

[iloveshinythings]

Underminer!!!! I've been collecting Dags since I was a kid, so it's great to see one on here. You can actually safely remove it from the case by using a flat razor blade and inserting it between the felt and the brass jacket that holds the dag/glass/brassplate together to check for hidden treasures. Be careful when you apply leverage though, so you don't stretch the binding on the case. I wouldn't suggest you disassemble the jacketed portion, since this is your first round and even dust (more so a touch or finger swipe) can completely ruin a dag. They are super volatile as far as exposure goes.

Once removed it will look like image 3 and 4 on this site. (Notice they are in a little encased (And usually taped up) jacket package - so this step is completely safe!

http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/collections/casedphotos/conservation.html

If you want more help or info on this, just let me know! Overall it looks to be in great condition! How large is it? That will help with value, if it is a quarter, half, full or ninth plate.

 

[UnderMiner]

Underminer!!!! I've been collecting Dags since I was a kid, so it's great to see one on here. You can actually safely remove it from the case by using a flat razor blade and inserting it between the felt and the brass jacket that holds the dag/glass/brassplate together to check for hidden treasures. Be careful when you apply leverage though, so you don't stretch the binding on the case. I wouldn't suggest you disassemble the jacketed portion, since this is your first round and even dust (more so a touch or finger swipe) can completely ruin a dag. They are super volatile as far as exposure goes.

Once removed it will look like image 3 and 4 on this site. (Notice they are in a little encased (And usually taped up) jacket package - so this step is completely safe!

Cased Photographs Project Conservation
If you want more help or info on this, just let me know! Overall it looks to be in great condition! How large is it? That will help with value, if it is a quarter, half, full or ninth plate.

The whole case is 3.25 inches wide and 3.75 inches high. This is the very first dag I've ever found/owned/or even held in my hands. Until today the oldest photo I've ever found was a 1890's tintype.
Thanks for the tips regarding handling and the link to the site!

 

[Erik in NJ]

View attachment 1197561View attachment 1197562

View attachment 1197564View attachment 1197563

What you found there is actually a pic of OldDude as a young man!

 

[iloveshinythings]

From the sounds of it, you have a sixth plate, which its the most common size of dagguerotype (because they were more affordable than other larger sizes) Here's a link to the size charts.

The mat that you have is early, which I would feel comfortably dates the Dag closer to the early 1850 mark (potentially mid to late 1840s) . Later mats were thinner and more ornate (almost exclusively used starting from 1855 and on). So the little chap who is in the photo very well could have been old enough to be a drummer boy himself in the CW (if he lived to grow up! [childhood mortality was unfortunately high back in those days ]).

So if it's a beautiful, clean image like it looks - you have a winner! I'm SO GLAD YOU SAVED IT!


A couple of other bonus things to look for would be a name (possibly inscribed behind the photo (I've found hair, other images, names, autographs, poetry and letters tucked in these things), as well as if the image has any hand tinting - which could be in the color of gold on jewelry, or pink on their cheeks. Both are uppers for the value if you're looking to sell it. I love the things! They are all one-off original pieces of history! You'll have the only one of it's kind in the whole world, and that's pretty neat.

Congrats again!

 

[qaela4]

That is phenomenal! Sad that someone could throw that kind of history away without a second thought. Thanks for saving it!

 

[UnderMiner]

What you found there is actually a pic of OldDude as a young man!

An interesting thought I just had, the identity of this little boy is unknown thus far... so this could be anyone - even someone from the history books. If only there was a way to find out who this is.
Jesse James would have been 4 years old in 1851, maybe this is him Never know.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Here's OldDude today at 165!

 

[UnderMiner]

Here's OldDude today at 165!

Hope I look that good at 165.

 

[UnderMiner]

After 165 years the Daguerreotype reveals its secret... I carefully removed the plate from the case and found an inscription!



Haven't been able to decipher it, doesn't appear to be English.

 

[iloveshinythings]

Awesome!!!

It's a name! "Ida Culkins"

 

[Erik in NJ]

Apparently it's a photo of a little girl named Ida Culkins or Calkins...I believe it's the latter as the lower case a's are not fully closed. The last word is Mir_dita. I can't decipher the fourth letter, but it might be an "i", giving us Miridita? Maybe someone here can better decipher this handwriting, it's not sloppy, but not totally well formed and quite old fashioned.

 

[iloveshinythings]

Second line may be Mendota, which is a city name in several states.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Ida Culkins b1875 - Columbia Hamilton Ohio | 1930 United States Census

 

[Erik in NJ]

Ida Calkins | WikiTree: The FREE Family Tree

 

[Erik in NJ]

Second line may be Mendota, which is a city name in several states.

The second letter appears to be an "i" and is dotted. But you're getting warmer! The last word is probably her last name and it appears to be Mindita:

https://www.google.com/search?q="id...dxwIVQho-Ch0digRU&dpr=1#q=ida+calkins+mindita

 

[Crosse De Sign]

UnderMiner,

Awsome! Now Jack's Parrot has something else to look at, besides you sleeping...


~:Crosse:~