A young musician holds a button-key accordion upright before him in this sixth plate daguerreotype, presented in a leather case with a gilt mat and preserver. The image dates to the 1850s based on the format, styling, and the accordion's construction, an instrument that had gained considerable popularity in American parlor culture during that decade. No photographer's imprint is visible on the mat or case interior.

The subject wears a sack coat with dark contrast trim along the lapels and sleeves, a white shirt with a standing collar, and a large, loosely knotted silk cravat bow at the throat. His dark hair is swept back at the sides and curled at the crown, and he meets the camera with a direct, composed expression. Both hands grip the accordion firmly, fingers positioned across the button keys and bellows ends.

The accordion visible here is a single-row diatonic button accordion of the type widely imported from Germany and Austria during the mid-nineteenth century, distinguishable by its rectangular bellows and single column of chord buttons on the right-hand side. Portraits with musical instruments held in playing position are uncommon in daguerreian-era portraiture, making this an especially purposeful and occupationally expressive image.

The leather case is quarter-hinged and retains its red velvet pad opposite the image. No inscription, paper label, or photographer's imprint is present on the case exterior or interior.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer