LOT #38081 |
Sold on May 12, 2012 for: Not Sold
James Buchanan: Outstanding Half-Plate Daguerreotype....
Click the image to load the highest resolution version.
Description
Recently discovered photograph of our 15th President.
James Buchanan: Outstanding Half-Plate Daguerreotype. We are very pleased to offer this historic rarity... an original, from-life photograph of James Buchanan. It is a half-plate daguerreotype (4.75" x 6") showing the statesman and future President comfortably seated. It is lightly tinted in flesh tones and housed in the original pebbled, burgundy leather case with stamped insignia of the photographer, Mayall of London. Buchanan was appointed Minister to England by President Pierce and served in that capacity from April 1853 until his inauguration as President. It should therefore come as no surprise that he was photographed by a British gallery while serving as our ambassador. He wears muttonchops whiskers in this portrait. While Buchanan was clean-shaven while serving as President, he did wear muttonchops before and after. Indeed, last year we sold a CDV of Buchanan, taken just prior to his death and signed on the mount, where he appears with muttonchops (lot #34195, April 8, 2011). Parenthetically, we must mention that Stephen Douglas wore a beard before running for President in 1860 (twice, as a matter of fact!), but shaved it off in time for the election and is always thought of as beardless. If you Google "James Buchanan images", you will find a magazine illustration signed Womper that is an exact copy of the daguerreotype we are offering. This portrait is pure Buchanan, from the clothes, hairstyle, open collar, misaligned eyes (which caused him to tilt his head ever so slightly in order to be able to focus his sight) and the two scars on his lip and cheek. It was purchased last year from an Internet vendor in Bath, England who specialized in early photographs. The National Portrait Gallery owns a handful of Buchanan daguerreotypes, but the ones we have seen are all in uniformly distressed condition. This one is really nice. The only defect worth mentioning is a slight warping to the leather case in the right corners. It still snaps shut with no problem, not that anyone would want to keep it closed!Auction Info
2012 May 12 Americana Signature Auction - Dallas #6086 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
May, 2012
12th
Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 1
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 2,543
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
19.5% of the successful bid per lot.
Shipping, Taxes, Terms and Bidding
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms
Important information concerning Sales Tax and Resale Certificates. Learn More
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms