Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

June 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Wed, Jun 24, 2026 11:00AM EDT
Lot 238

CDV Botanical Study Paperwhite Narcissus, J.E. Tilton and Co., Boston

Estimate: $50 - $100

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$100 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
A cut stem of Narcissus tazetta, commonly known as paperwhite or bunch-flowered narcissus, is the subject of this albumen carte-de-visite published by J.E. Tilton and Co., Manufacturers and Importers of Photograph Albums and Cartes de Visite, 161 Washington Street, Boston, the third botanical CDV in this sale from the firm's mid-1860s botanical series. The paperwhite was among the most popular Victorian indoor bulbs, prized for blooming in winter without soil and widely grown in parlor bowls across New England, making it a fitting subject for Tilton's series aimed at the parlor album market.

A tight cluster of three to four open blooms and one partially open bud sits atop a single long stem, the flowers showing the characteristic flat spreading outer petals and ruffled central cup of the tazetta form. Three long strap-like leaves sweep upward alongside the stem, their tips curving outward at different angles. The base of the cut stem is bound or wrapped, and the entire arrangement is presented against a plain light ground with no vase or prop.

The reverse bears the standard black-printed circular imprint of J.E. Tilton and Co., Photograph Albums and Cartes de Visite, 161 Washn. St., Boston, with the central vignette of an ornate album.

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