A working man seated with a hammer held upright in his right hand anchors this ninth plate ambrotype, placing it firmly within the mid-nineteenth century tradition of occupational portraiture. The process and format are consistent with production between the mid-1850s and early 1870s, and no photographer's imprint is present.

The subject wears a dark wool vest over a loose linen work shirt with an open collar, his clothing visibly worn and suggestive of active labor. A wide-brimmed soft felt hat sits low on his head, and a short beard frames his direct, unsmiling gaze at the lens. The wooden-handled hammer he grips upright at center frame functions as a deliberate occupational prop, identifying his trade to any viewer.

Occupational ambrotypes of tradesmen presenting their tools are among the more sought-after examples of the format, as the prop transforms what might otherwise be a generic studio portrait into a document of nineteenth-century working-class life. The leather case is embossed with a repeating Gothic quatrefoil medallion pattern on both covers and retains its original blue velvet pad opposite the image.

No photographer's imprint is visible on the mat or case interior. The image is a ninth plate.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer