Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

September 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Sat, Sep 19, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-09-19 11:00:00 2026-09-19 11:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : September 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/september-2026-vernacular-photo-history-auction-24380
Our September 2026 auction is anchored by two remarkable private collections, together making up about half the sale, alongside a broader selection of consignments spanning early photography, Civil War material, and vernacular imagery. The Soffer Collection, built with an eye for rarity and historical significance, is particularly strong in vernacular portraiture, Native American photographs, and Iowa Civil War imagery. The Palmer, Massachusetts collection, much of it found at Brimfield, centers on maker-marked daguerreotypes from the golden age of the American daguerreian studio.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 450

Sixth Plate Daguerreotype, Couple Portrait, Anson, NYC

Estimate: $100 - $200
Starting Bid
$50

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 young couple seated together fills this sixth plate daguerreotype, made at Rufus P. Anson's celebrated Broadway studio in New York City, almost certainly between 1853 and the early 1860s when he operated at 589 Broadway. Anson was among the most industrious daguerreotypists in antebellum New York, employing fifteen camera operators by 1860, and the technical confidence of this image reflects that professional scale.

The woman wears a light day dress with a vertically striped bodice, dark ribbon trim at the sleeves, a fitted belt at the waist, and lace-trimmed fingerless gloves resting in her lap. Her hair is styled in tight curls at the sides. The young man beside her is dressed in a dark suit with a large bow tie and a stickpin at his collar, his right arm draped across her shoulder in a relaxed posture.

The subjects are unidentified. The leather case carries a deeply embossed geometric and foliate medallion design on the exterior, and the gilt mat bears the stamped imprint "Anson, 589 Broadway" on the velvet liner, with the catalog number 589 also visible on the mat.

Property of a Palmer, Massachusetts gentleman.

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