Half plate ambrotype of Washington’s Tomb. c. 1857.

Large half plate ambrotype, housed in a full leatherette case, likely struck by a Virginia photographer who operated at or near Arlington in the mid to late 1850s. Details of Washington’s tomb are crystal clear; the artist added some subtle red tint to emphasize the tomb’s brick construction. In the foreground is a group of seven subjects in fine attire who have been strategically posed throughout the field of view.

Americans flocked to the tomb of the nation’s first president in great numbers from its opening in 1831. It is no surprise that an enterprising artist recognized the business opportunity.



[George Washington, Presidents, Generals, Revolutionary War, Colonial America, Funeralia, Presidential Tombs, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Cased Images, Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, Tintypes, Union Cases]