Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

Fall Photographic History Auction, 2025

Sat, Sep 6, 2025 01:00PM EDT
  2025-09-06 13:00:00 2025-09-06 13:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : Fall Photographic History Auction, 2025 https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/fall-photographic-history-auction-2025-20189
We are pleased to announce our next auction, featuring approximately 200 individual lots drawn from a diverse and compelling range of 19th- and early 20th-century photography. This sale focuses on vernacular images, photographs created not as formal studio portraits or elite commissions, but as direct, unscripted records of lived experience. These are objects made by and for everyday people, preserving moments of intimacy, labor, travel, performance, identity, and loss.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 245

Sixth Plate Ambrotype of Elderly Woman in a Top Hat

Estimate: $200 - $300
Starting Bid
$100

Bid Increments

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Odd sixth plate ambrotype capturing an elderly woman in an extraordinary and theatrical pose, wearing an oversized top hat and white frilled cap beneath, seated with a younger woman standing beside her. The matriarch's attire and choice of headwear create a striking juxtaposition, blending traditional and whimsical elements in a portrait that is both humorous and oddly formal.

The younger woman, dressed in a plain dark dress with a row of buttons and a small brooch at the collar, stands with her hand resting gently on the elder's shoulder. The older subject gazes with a lively expression that hints at mischief, her elaborate lace collar and cloak completing the dramatic presentation. A rare and unusual example of 19th-century portraiture that playfully subverts convention while preserving intergenerational presence.

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