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 410

Sixth Plate Daguerreotype, Two Children with Rocking Horse

Estimate: $300 - $500
Starting Bid
$150

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
Two unidentified children pose before a painted woodland backdrop in this sixth plate daguerreotype, likely dating to the 1850s based on the clothing and mat style. The image is presented without a case, housed instead in a gilt mat with an embossed floral border that serves as the sole frame. No photographer's imprint is visible on the package.

The older child, a boy, stands at left in a dark double-breasted jacket with a row of white buttons and holds the handlebars of a wooden rocking horse. Beside him, a younger girl sits in a low spindle chair wearing a plaid short-sleeve dress with a white off-shoulder collar, white stockings, and flat-soled shoes, with a small decorative basket resting at her right side.

The wooden rocking horse is a particularly notable prop, as toy horses of this type were deliberately introduced by photographers to appeal to child subjects and hold their attention during the long exposures required by the daguerreotype process, making such props a recognized studio convention of the mid-nineteenth century.

The reverse shows no inscriptions or photographer's imprint. The gilt mat backing is heavily worn with no readable text.

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