Rare and striking self-portrait of a young daguerreotypist seated confidently beside his chamfered-box camera mounted on a wooden tripod. Executed with deliberate composition and technical finesse, the image captures the photographer in formal attire, posed with both arms resting assertively on a cloth-covered table, his gaze locked directly with the viewer. The lens of his camera is clearly visible, focused outward, suggesting a calculated setup to document himself in the act of authorship.

The daguerreotype speaks to the early practitioner’s dual role as both technician and artist, presenting not only his likeness, but his tools of the trade. Self-representations with visible daguerreotype equipment are exceptionally scarce and serve as invaluable documentation of 19th-century photographic practice.

A compelling and intimate portrait of a working photographer at the dawn of image-making.