Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

Winter Photographic History Auction 2026

Sat, Jan 31, 2026 01:00PM EST
Lot 201

Daguerreotype Portrait of Girl Holding a Doll

Estimate: $200 - $300

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
Sixth plate daguerreotype portrait of a young girl seated and facing the camera, holding a cloth doll across her lap. The image appears to be a mid-19th century studio portrait, likely dating to the 1850s based on the daguerreotype process, the girl’s dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline and gathered bodice, and the overall formal studio presentation. The subject is unidentified. No photographer’s imprint or identifying text is visible.

The doll is a clearly intentional and central element of the composition, held carefully in both hands rather than placed as a background prop. Such inclusions were common in children’s daguerreotypes and often reflect a personal possession brought to the sitting, offering a rare visual record of period toys and childhood material culture.

The daguerreotype is housed in a hinged case with a gilt brass mat and red velvet lining. The mat features an octagonal opening, and the interior presentation is consistent with mid-century American cased daguerreotypes. The case exterior is embossed leather with decorative scrollwork. No handwritten notes or labels are present.

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The Elsa Schaar Collection is a large, intact assemblage of early American photographic portraiture dating circa 1839–1870, formed primarily between the 1920s and 1950s by collector and antiques dealer Elsa Schaar Beugler Haase (1894–1976). The collection comprises 453 photographic works, including 258 daguerreotypes and ambrotypes in a wide range of original cases, 139 tintypes, 56 carte-de-visite photographs, and several Civil War–era and tintype albums. Elsa Schaar, based largely in Elmira, New York, actively bought, sold, and corresponded with collectors nationwide, often through ads in Hobbies (later Antiques & Collecting Magazine), developing a focused interest in early portrait photography. Following her death, the collection passed intact to her brother, architect William R. Schaar, and is now being offered by his descendants, preserving a clear and well-documented line of descent spanning more than a century