Haunting 8 x 10 inch daguerreotype by Robert Shlaer, capturing the weathered adobe remains of La Capella de Santa Rosa de Lima de Abiquiú, founded in 1737 in northern New Mexico. The image centers on a decaying mudbrick wall pierced by an empty wooden window frame, set starkly against the exposed roof beams and a soft, pale sky. The formal composition and dramatic tonality transform the chapel’s ruin into a quiet meditation on time, faith, and cultural endurance in the American Southwest.

Etched on the reverse of the plate is the full title, “La Capella de Santa Rosa de Lima de Abiquiú 1737,” along with the date “©1989” and the artist’s signature, “R. Shlaer,” accompanied by the plate number “146.” Among Shlaer’s most celebrated works, this early example reflects his commitment to site-specific documentation and his broader project of reviving daguerreotypy as both a scientific and poetic visual medium. The chapel, one of the oldest in New Mexico, is presented here as a historical witness—its worn textures preserved in luminous silver with unmatched precision. Framed for exhibition and ready for institutional or serious private collection.