Lot 31 email save

Wallpaper artist rich occupational daguerreotype

A smock with leggings covers his suit. On the table is a pail with glue, a brush, and very prominent large scissors with which he can cut the roll of patterned paper that extends down from the table. On his lap is a tray with various tools, including a palette knife. This may be a base on which he can mix the proper consistency of glue. It would seem that he is an artist craftsman who can custom-make perfectly aligned patterns for tricky areas, not just apply the paper broadside on walls. This is an unusually detailed occupational portrait, a 1/6 plate daguerreotype signed McElroy on the mat. There were various daguerreotypists by that name. The plate has a number of fine scratches, but the charm and vitality of the image is well preserved. There is a silk pad that might be original, but the geometric thermoplastic case is much later. [D2+]

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