Half-plate horizontal outdoor daguerreotype. N.p., ca. early-to-mid 1850s. Housed in a full dark brown leather case.

Posed in side profile atop a handsome, muscular riding horse facing left, the gentleman sits tall in the saddle, holding the leather reins in his left hand while propping a riding crop upright with his right. He is attired in stylish equestrian travel dress: a tall, dark beaver top hat, tailored overcoat, and trousers with boots set in the stirrups. The horse stands quietly in full harness and tack, with its white-socked rear foot clearly delineated against the open terrain. In the background, traces of outbuildings and bare trees punctuate the horizon under bright sky.

Outdoor exposures of living animals posed immense technical challenges for operators. Even minor movements by a restless horse often resulted in blur, making successfully executed equestrian portraits on the commanding half-plate format such as this rare achievements of the daguerreian era.

[Daguerreotype, Half Plate, Outdoor Photography, Equestrian, Horse, Horseback, Horseman, Rider, Saddle, Tack, Top Hat, Overcoat, Walking Stick, Cane, Crop, Blue Tarnish, Embossed Leather Case, Cased Image, 1850s Photography, Antebellum Americana]

Good condition. The daguerreotype exhibits fine detail despite characteristic outdoor surface haze. The plate displays a striking band of vivid iridescent cobalt-blue and magenta perimeter tarnish framing the inner edge of the mat aperture.