Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

2026 European Photography Auction

Wed, Oct 28, 2026 01:00PM EDT
  2026-10-28 13:00:00 2026-10-28 13:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : 2026 European Photography Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/2026-european-photography-auction-24401
Our October auction focuses on historic European photography, we are offering a curated collection of fine and erotic daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, CDV, cabinet cards, stereoviews, and a range of curious and uncommon nineteenth-century European vernacular material. At the center of the sale is a collection of images from the Paris Commune of 1871 and the surrounding “année terrible,” the year of war, siege, insurrection, and reprisal that reshaped France. The focus is on the people who drove those events and lived through their aftermath, and on the city that bore the damage.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 150

Hand-Painted Photograph, Three-Quarter Plate, Seated English Gentleman

Estimate: $200 - $300
Starting Bid
$10

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 three-quarter plate hand-painted photograph of an unidentified English gentleman, presented in a fully intact leather triptych case with a gilt-bordered arch mat. The image combines a photographic base with extensive oil or watercolor overpainting throughout, a practice popular in English studios from the 1860s through the 1880s that elevated portraits to near-miniature-painting status. No photographer's imprint is visible on the image or case interior.

The subject sits in three-quarter length pose on a red upholstered chair with fringe trim, his legs crossed and hands resting in his lap. He wears a dark frock coat over a waistcoat, pale blue-gray trousers, a white high collar, and a spotted cravat. His auburn hair is center-parted and worn long at the sides, and he carries a full beard and mustache. A red draped table at his right holds a small closed book, and a warm ochre ground with a curtained architectural recess fills the background.

The overpainting is executed with notable refinement: flesh tones, textile textures, and background passages are all rendered with an artist's hand rather than simple tinting, placing this piece in the tradition of English painted photographic portraiture aimed at clients who could not commission a full oil painting. The triptych case construction, with two hinged flanking panels lined in brown fabric, was a presentation format associated with larger, more prestigious portrait commissions.

No photographer's imprint is visible; the case exterior is leather with a blind-ruled border on both covers. The image measures approximately three-quarter plate.

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We ship for free on combined lot values of $500 or higher in the United States. We will be traveling to Paris November 8-14th and can deliver any of our items at Paris Photo or the show on Saturday.