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 458

Sixth Plate Daguerreotype, Man, Webster & Bro Artists Louisville

Estimate: $200 - $300
Starting Bid
$100

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
An unidentified man is portrayed in this sixth plate daguerreotype produced by Webster & Bro, Artists, Louisville, Kentucky, a firm active at various Main Street addresses between 1851 and 1860. The image presents a three-quarter bust view with a plain dark background, and the plate is set behind an oval aperture within a gilt paper mat decorated with embossed floral and foliate corner ornaments. The attributed date range and studio history place this work squarely within Webster & Bro's Louisville period, likely before 1860.

The subject wears a dark frock coat over a waistcoat with visible buttons, a white shirt with a loosely knotted silk cravat, and carries a chin beard trimmed close below the lip. His dark wavy hair is swept back and his gaze is directed slightly off-axis, lending the portrait a composed, direct intensity.

Webster & Bro was operated by the Webster brothers, who relocated from Evansville to Louisville around 1851. Israel Webster exhibited at the New York Crystal Palace in 1853 and was a pioneer of the paper photographic process in Louisville in 1854, reportedly studying under A.A. Turner and the Boston firm of Whipple and Black. E.Z. Webster later worked as a stereo photographer in Norwich, Connecticut, in the late 1860s and 1870s.

The red velvet pad inside the case lid bears the embossed studio imprint reading "Webster & Bro / Artists / Louisville" in three ribbon banners. The leather case exterior features an embossed geometric and rosette pattern on both covers.

Property of a Palmer, Massachusetts gentleman.

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