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 438

Sixth Plate Daguerreotype, Two Women, Bogardus, New York

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
Two unidentified women are portrayed together in this sixth plate daguerreotype, made by Abraham Bogardus at his Greenwich Street gallery in New York City, most likely between 1852 and 1860. Bogardus was among the most prolific daguerreotypists of the nineteenth century, operating continuously in New York City from 1846 onward and later serving as the first president of the National Photographic Association from 1868 to 1874. Both subjects appear to be young adults, seated close together and facing the camera with composed, direct expressions.

Both women wear dark dresses with button-front bodices; the woman on the left has a ruffled white collar with applied color tinting, a wide white cuff bracelet, and a ring visible on her right hand, while the woman on the right wears a striped white collar secured with a small brooch that retains applied color. Both wear their dark hair parted at the center and dressed close to the head with side curls, a style consistent with the mid-1850s. The gilded mat frames the image beneath an arched opening, and the image is held in a leather case with an embossed floral and scrollwork design on both covers.

Bogardus recalled making and selling approximately 200,000 daguerreotypes during his career as a practical daguerreotypist, and his Greenwich Street studio was among the best-known portrait establishments in antebellum New York. The name "BOGARDUS" is legibly embossed into the lower rail of the gilt mat frame.

Property of a Palmer, Massachusetts gentleman.

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