Great sixth-plate ambrotype of a Mason in full regalia.  His fringed collar has been skillfully styled with a climbing floral design while his apron has the All Seeing Eye at the top and a Temple directly below.  We don’t know if this is intentional but the opening of the temple along with the pattern of the floral theme below forms the outline of the cross.  He appears to be a rather tall gentleman with a great bushy beard and a slightly receding hairline.   This commanding portrait is in very good condition with nice tones and contrast.  His cheeks have been tinted and there are some light gold highlights throughout the scarf and vest.  There are a few spots of emulsion that have been rubbed by the mat at the top perimeter.  The image is housed in a nice full leather case.  This was also from the Decatur IL collection and has not seen the market in sometime.

Rare Japanese ambrotype of a soldier identified as Ando Isuke.   The previous Japanese owner identified the name from the writing on the back of the case.  According to his research, Ando Isuke fought in the Boxer Rebellion.   He is proudly posed in full uniform with another young man in a traditional Japanese outfit standing next to him.  Judging from the resemblance this could possibly be his brother.  The image is in very good minus condition with nice tones.  There is some light spotting on the left side which is commonly seen with Japanese ambrotypes.  The image is housed in a full kiri-wood case with the inscription on the back of the case. 

Terrific ninth-plate ambrotype of a dashing and handsome man in a passé-partout frame.   There is no identification and while we would assume this is a European or English image the tight composition has a slightly more American style.  The man leans on a table with a cowboy hat next to his elbow.  His tie is a very pleasing light blue with gold gilding to his pin and the jewelry hanging from his watch chain.  His face has also been lightly tinted.  Under close examination the hat is somewhat unusual in that it has a white band and a gold highlight on the left.   A standard marble column is seen on the right creating close quarters for our sitter.  The origin really doesn’t matter with his wonderful piece as it is in excellent condition.  The image and presentation have been resealed.  

Fantastic quarter-plate ambrotype of a man posed holding his crutch.   His sleeping dog lies next to him on the floor of the studio.  At first we thought this was just a large walking stick but under close examination you can definitely see the curvature of a standard crutch.  Neither leg looks broken and we can see his feet are in standard matching shoes so it is likely that this was a lifelong disability.  Judging from the dog’s position the man had no trouble getting around as he seems quite worn out from the day’s activity.  The image is in excellent condition with nice tones and light highlights to his cheeks.  It is housed in a worn pressed paper case with both top rails showing bare wood. There is an identification behind the image written in the case that reads Hammond Edwards & his dog, taken September 6, 1866.The front cover rail also has wear to the wood with a scrap visible.

Detailed, oversized half-plate tintype (5” x 6 7/8”) of an older gentleman with a great deal of character present in his face.  He is quite distinguished in appearance and seems to have sadness in his eyes.  The man has obviously seen some wonderful and horrible times in his life and it shows with every wrinkle in his face.  The image is in very good condition with blue/green tinting in the background.  The black areas on each corner are original to the process and could be overmatted if desired.  However for us this seems to belong with this image. 

By the time the tintype hit the marketplace a number of ideas about photography had started to change.  In the beginning stages of the daguerreotype the common theme was based on standard portrait painting.  Poses were very formal without much expression.  Artful touches eventually made their way into the process through the use of stylized, landscape, and occupational portraits, and on rare occasion even a touch of humor, as seen in lot 1.  The affordability of the tintype gave patrons and photographers a whole new perspective and added another layer of creativity. 

This group lot is the perfect example of that progression.  While not identified, these images were purchased in an album assembled by the aforementioned Decatur, IL collector who seemed to purchase a great deal of his images in 1980’s.  These were found next to the photographer’s cabinet card in lot 51.  While we are not sure of the relationship we suspect this was indeed a photographer having fun in his studio and might possibly be a relative or a hired operator working with T. M.  Donnell.

In any case, this is one of the best groupings of tintypes of one subject that we have ever offered.  We see five different poses of the same handsome young man.  The first is a standard semi-profile portrait in a paper mat.  Next we have a full profile followed by the back of the gentleman’s head, a somewhat different but not uncommon photograph taken in this era.  The next is quite unique and a pose we have never seen with a tintype (the scan does not do this justice as it is much clearer in person).  The sitter has positioned himself with his head resting on the arm of a typical 19^th century photographer’s chair.  The staging is reminiscent of a guillotine scene with the man’s head soon to be dropping in a bucket below!  The last image, of his boots casually resting on a wood chair, is also very unusual.  Whether this was just a boring day in the studio or the photographer’s creative juices were flowing we are certainly happy that these have survived! 

As for condition, the portrait standard has a number of light marks and a light bend or wrinkle from the left perimeter to below his chin.  The others are in excellent condition with an extremely light stray line or mark in the background as seen in the scans.  The boot image is a little light in contrast.  This is certainly a one of kind grouping that could be the center piece of a collection and enjoyed for years to come! 

Rare occupational cdv-size tintype in a paper mat (2 ½” x 3 ½” without mat) of a newsgirl.  While technically this could be a young boy we feel the feminine features are just too numerous.  In the end we’ll let you be the judge and bid accordingly.   While doing research we did find mention that a good portion of the kids selling papers in the 19^th century, especially in the larger cities were homeless and while references to girls are difficult to find (see http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Pa-Re/Police-Children-and-the.html) they were definitely part of this profession.  In the 1890s, police officials in Pittsburgh expressed concern that street employment -particularly work as messengers – forced boys to frequent pool halls and brothels, and exposed them to gambling, drinking, and vice. Similarly, police officials worried that girls engaged in street trades (such as selling newspapers) had taken the first step toward prostitution. 

We’ve provided close-ups to show the girl's face and how her longer hair has been shoved into her hat with stray strands obviously sticking out.  The boots also look nothing like any of the men’s shoes we have seen in 19^th century photographs.  The rest of the outfit is completely tattered with large patches and rips suggesting this was a person living a hard life on the streets.   While this was a tough life for anyone, for a young woman this would be a nightmare and dressing like a tomboy would be a preferred option.  She holds a newspaper with the title visible however we have not deciphered the name of the publication.  Two more examples are visible on the floor, with one showing an illustration that may be recognizable.  The image is in excellent condition with light tinting to the girl’s cheeks.  This is a wonderfully rare piece that would be perfect for any collection.

Very unusual whole-plate copy tintype of a folk art painting of a man.  While very simple in its drawing the photographer has captured the artist vision in sharp detail.  While we see numerous daguerreotypes and ambrotypes of paintings it seems much less common with the tintype process and especially with a whole plate.  There is some light tinting to the man’s cheeks and it appears the photographer has added some highlight brush marks to his hair and tie.  The image is in very good plus/excellent condition with a few scattered small spots visible on the top of the image.

Rare cdv-size tintype (2 ½” x 3 ½”) of a child and mother, in which the photographer has actually poured collodion to hide the mother’s face.  This is the first time we have seen this particular trick as normally the mother or father is hidden under a tablecloth or shielded in some other fashion.  At times we have seen where the parent’s face was scratched off the plate but this is quite inventive even if it does make for a peculiar format.  In the end the baby was captured with a nice grin and that’s what really matters.  The plate is in very good condition with some typical surface wear.  On the bottom you can see where the top layer of varnish has some small alligator marks, as is often seen with tintypes.  This is much more noticeable in the scan than in person, primarily when seen at an angle in strong light.

Cute cdv-size tintype (2 ½’ x 3 ½”) of a young lad with a broken arm sitting in an unusual lounge-style photographer’s chair.  This may have been quite a badge of honor to most young boys, but his might have been a recent break as he has a tight grip on the side chair.  We don’t think he wants to take any chances of busting his other arm while falling from the chair!  The image is in very good plus condition with some light general surface wear.  His face is slightly soft as he may have moved a little during the exposure. 

Another precious cdv-size tintype (2  3/8” x 3 3/8”) of a cute young girl posed with her large extremely curly haired doll.  This young lass also has a tight grip on her favorite toy which sits atop a wood column with bizarre wooden carved stakes for decoration.  The painted backdrop of a rural country scene -with a carpet - also is quite unusual.  We are sure though that despite the photographer’s design flaws this was a treasured photograph for the sweet girl and her family.  She is perfectly posed with her hair in lovely long ringlets and to the artists credit he did keep her in sharp focus.  The tintype is in very good plus condition with light tinting to her face.  

Outstanding, slightly oversized quarter-plate tintype (3 ¼” x 5”) of gorgeous young African-American girl with beautiful long flowing hair.  While posed perfectly in place our sitter seems somewhat apprehensive about this whole process with her beautiful dark eyes open to their apex.  She grasps tightly to a fence post that has been placed in front of the painted backdrop with one hand and holds a lovely basket of hand tinted flowers in the other.  The image is in very good condition with some light typical surface mostly seen at an angle.  The photographer’s fingerprint is also still visible in the top left corner from the day this portrait was taken.  This is a delightful tintype that could be put in a leather case if so desired. 

Fantastic cdv-size tintype (2  3/8” x 3  5/16”) of a very handsome sailor.  A large anchor is the central decoration on his heavy woolen shirt and a star is plainly visible on his left collar.   A matching star is barely seen on the opposite side.  He also wears a heavy jacket suggesting that he is sailing in cold climates.  His hair is perfectly groomed and he has large dark eyes.  This extremely sharp image is in very good plus condition with some light tinting to his face.  There is some very light typical surface wear. 

Cool cdv-size occupational tintype (2 ¼” x 3 ½”) of two carpenters or possibly lumberjacks. Whatever their job, we would love to work with these guys!  Judging from their dress these two men are quite the characters.  The man on the left wears a wild pair of plaid pants hiked well above his waist.  His thin pinstriped jacket is tucked inside his pants along with a white shirt.  He is holding a saw in his right hand.  To complete his quirky ensemble he wears an unusual hat which appears too small for his head.  While not as flamboyant, the man on the right wears a slightly strange dark pinstripe shirt or jacket over a barely visible white shirt.  Under close examination it appears to button in the front but actually seems to be on backwards.  He wears a very nice bowler hat and holds a hand ax in his hand with the blade facing upwards.   The strange painted backdrop seems to complete this fantastic yet hilarious portrait with some very weird trees along with an ornate arched column.    This tintype is in excellent condition with some light tinting to their cheeks. 

Intriguing cdv-size tintype in a paper mat (2” x 3 3/8” without the mat) of either a magician or a mental patient in an early example of a straitjacket.  While we are not sure of the meaning of this photograph it is one of our favorite tintypes because of the unusual subject matter.  The man’s face has a very solemn appearance with slightly sunken eyes.  While the material is wrapped in numerous directions around his body it is definitely tightly tied at his hands which are in turn tied to a chin strap that appears to be part of the cloth covering his head.  If he is a magician this might be a difficult escape and a performance that was surely popular.  The other scenario would not be nearly as pleasant although it is possible that a doctor or inventor was documenting period history.  The tintype is in excellent minus condition.  At an angle in strong light there is a hint of an extremely light bend which is insignificant.

Very nice oversized half-plate tintype (5” x 7”) of a family posed in front of their one story house.   While most definitely related we suspect this is two generations living together.  The patriarch has a large white beard and judging from the style of facial hair on both men this might be an Amish family from around Arthur, IL.  The image is from the Decatur, IL collection and the city is located a short distance from Illinois Amish country.  The detail is quite strong especially with the uneven shingle work on the roof.  The tintype is in very good plus condition with a small spot of debris on the far left side.  At an angle and in strong light the cover layer of varnish the photographer has applied appears slightly uneven.  This would be great matted and framed.