Highly unusual and visually compelling quarter plate daguerreotype depicting a horse-drawn funeral hearse parked on a town street. The hearse is a classic mid-19th-century design, with elaborate gold-painted decoration on its side panels and a clearly visible rear compartment where a coffin would have been slid in. The team of white horses stands ready, and a backdrop of storefronts and wooden buildings completes the period streetscape.

Images of hearses from the daguerreian era are vanishingly rare, and this example is among the most striking. The composition is well-balanced, offering excellent architectural and occupational detail. The plate itself shows scattered tarnish and mild surface wear, but overall clarity is strong. It is housed in its original mat and frame with decorative geometric patterns and red velvet lining.

This is a standout piece of 19th-century funerary ephemera and street photography, capturing the intersection of commerce, death, and public ritual. Ideal for collections focused on mortuary history, transportation, or rare daguerreotype subject matter.