Portrait of a confident young woman, richly dressed in a boldly patterned silk dress with wide sleeves and a large white collar edged in lace, fastened at the neck with a small floral brooch. Her elaborately parted hair is styled in wide wings, accentuating her symmetrical features and serene expression. The daguerreotype is housed in a full leather case with its original stamped brass mat bearing the studio address “Anson, 589 Broadway.”

Rufus Anson was a prominent New York daguerreotypist active during the 1850s and early 1860s. His Broadway studio, at 589 Broadway in Manhattan, was one of the best-known galleries of the era and produced some of the most refined and technically accomplished portrait daguerreotypes of the period. Anson’s images are prized for their clarity, tonal range, and elegant presentation, often appealing to a prosperous clientele in mid-century New York.