Two young women share the frame of this sixth plate daguerreotype, seated side by side in a pose that suggests close kinship. The image is hand-tinted with notable care, and dates most likely to the early-to-mid 1850s based on dress silhouette and case style. No photographer's imprint is visible.

Each subject wears a pink ribbon bow at the collar, applied in tint, and both display gold-tinted rings on their fingers. The woman at left wears a light dress with wide lace cuffs and an embroidered floral hem trim, while the woman at right wears a striped bodice with ruched sleeves and a dark tiered skirt. Both have dark hair parted at center and smoothed close to the head, and the woman at left wears small drop earrings tinted gold.

The daguerreotype is housed in a gilt mat with a shaped shield aperture set against a gold embossed preserver, all contained within a leather case stamped with a dense floral and scroll pattern on both covers. The interior liner is deep red velvet with a gilt-edged frame border.

The lot is a sixth plate daguerreotype. No photographer's imprint appears on the case or mat.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer