In this sixth plate daguerreotype John P. Garrett arranges four small cased portraits as a tidy grid and records them on a single plate. The open cases show ornate mats around paired and trio sitters, while a gilt lettered book spine behind the arrangement provides a crisp vertical backdrop. The result reads as a carefully composed studio still life that documents the kinds of portraits a client could commission and how they would appear when cased.<br><br>Made for practical purposes, the composition works as a sampler and as a record of stock on hand. Multiple sittings are united into one orderly view, allowing a viewer to compare pose, attire, and presentation at a glance. The plate also reveals Garrett’s command of lighting and focus across varied surfaces, from polished mats to the dark cloth of dresses and coats.<br><br>Appealing to collectors of early studio practice, advertising ephemera, and nineteenth century portraiture, the work captures photography looking at itself in service of the business. A rare surviving example of a daguerreotypist using the medium to showcase the finished product, both instructive and elegant.<br><br><b>Provenance and Context for the Garrett Daguerreotypes</b><br><br>The remarkable group of daguerreotypes offered here originate directly from the Garrett family holdings and were first dispersed in the 1970s, when they changed hands a couple of times before being acquired by noted early photography collector Yann Mailett. Held privately since that time, the collection was recently sold by Mailett as a single lot and is now being offered for the first time as individual items. The grouping represents a rare and cohesive visual record of mid-19th century life and architecture near Utica, New York, as documented by John P. Garrett, a little-known daguerreian active in South Trenton circa 1859–1860.<br><br>From the internal evidence within the collection, a compelling narrative emerges connecting Garrett to Stephen S. Rounds, a better-documented Utica photographer. Two daguerreotypes in the group feature the same corner building, with signs in the windows identifying it first as Rounds’ skylight daguerrean rooms and later as Garrett’s. The consistent angle and architectural features confirm the transition of ownership and operation from Rounds to Garrett around 1859, matching the dates found in period directories. While Rounds operated at 162 Genesee Street from 1856 to 1861, Garrett’s brief tenure as a photographer appears to coincide precisely with his acquisition of the studio.<br><br>The images preserved by the Garrett family span street scenes, vernacular architecture, commercial buildings, and private residences, many of which bear hallmarks of a professional’s hand—clear focus, balanced compositions, and even experimentation with color tinting. Taken together, they form an invaluable record of a rural New York photographer whose work bridges the professional lineage of the region’s photographic history, now illuminated through these surviving works.