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 447

Sixth Plate Daguerreotype, Young Man, Signed Perkins

Estimate: $100 - $200
Starting Bid
$50

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
A young man is the subject of this sixth plate daguerreotype, seated in a three-quarter pose and facing the camera with a calm, direct expression. The portrait dates to the early-to-mid 1850s based on styling conventions, and the embossed mat bears a legible imprint reading "Perkins," attributing the work to that studio or operator. The image is presented without a hinged cover, the leather case back surviving separately in a plain paper-covered board construction.

The subject wears a dark frock coat with a wide satin-faced lapel, a patterned waistcoat with visible buttons, and a white shirt with a high collar finished by a large black bow tie. His dark hair is worn full and swept back at the sides in a style fashionable in the early 1850s. Both hands are visible, one resting on a surface at his right side and the other loosely held near his lap, lending the composition an informal ease uncommon in daguerreotype portraiture.

The embossed lower mat rail reads "Perkins," consistent with several daguerreotypists operating under that surname in New England during the 1840s and 1850s, though the specific operator has not been confirmed from the imprint alone. The gilt mat frame is a decorative scallop-corner style typical of the period, and the plate itself shows the characteristic mirror surface of the daguerreotype process.

The embossed studio imprint on the mat reads "Perkins." No inscriptions appear on the reverse. No measured dimensions were provided.

Property of a Palmer, Massachusetts gentleman.

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