Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

Winter Photographic History Auction 2026

Sat, Jan 31, 2026 01:00PM EST
  2026-01-31 13:00:00 2026-01-31 13:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : Winter Photographic History Auction 2026 https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/winter-photographic-history-auction-2026-21839
We are pleased to present our Winter Photography Auction, opening January 31 at 1:00 PM Eastern, featuring approximately 270 individual lots spanning the full breadth of 19th- and early 20th-century photography. The sale brings together landmark historical images, rare early photographic processes, and a deep selection of vernacular material created outside the conventions of formal studio portraiture. Collectively, these works offer a direct, unfiltered record of American life, identity, conflict, labor, and memory during photography’s formative century.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 205

Striking Daguerreotype Profile Portrait of a Man in Robe

Estimate: $400 - $600
Current Bid
$250

Bid Increments

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$20,000 $2,000
Sixth plate daguerreotype studio portrait of an unidentified man shown in strict profile, facing right. The image is a daguerreotype on a silvered copper plate, housed in a full leather case. The sitter wears what appears to be a loose robe or dressing gown rather than conventional daywear, an uncommon choice for mid-19th century portraiture. The profile pose itself is atypical for daguerreotypes, which were most often made as frontal or three-quarter views. Based on the photographic format, mat style, and costume, the image likely dates to the 1840s–1850s. No photographer’s imprint is visible.

The deliberate profile presentation emphasizes the sitter’s facial structure and nose line in a manner more often associated with silhouette traditions or classical portrait conventions, making this an unusual compositional choice within early American photography. The robe suggests either a private studio setting or an intentional departure from formal attire, contributing to the rarity of the image type.

The daguerreotype is presented in a hinged leather case with a geometric floral blind-stamped design on the exterior. The interior features a gilt oval mat and red velvet pad. No handwritten inscriptions or labels are present. Size: sixth plate.

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The Elsa Schaar Collection is a large, intact assemblage of early American photographic portraiture dating circa 1839–1870, formed primarily between the 1920s and 1950s by collector and antiques dealer Elsa Schaar Beugler Haase (1894–1976). The collection comprises 453 photographic works, including 258 daguerreotypes and ambrotypes in a wide range of original cases, 139 tintypes, 56 carte-de-visite photographs, and several Civil War–era and tintype albums. Elsa Schaar, based largely in Elmira, New York, actively bought, sold, and corresponded with collectors nationwide, often through ads in Hobbies (later Antiques & Collecting Magazine), developing a focused interest in early portrait photography. Following her death, the collection passed intact to her brother, architect William R. Schaar, and is now being offered by his descendants, preserving a clear and well-documented line of descent spanning more than a century