Sixth-plate portrait daguerreotype beneath an oval brass mat and stamped preserver. N.p., ca. mid-1850s. Housed in a full brown leatherette case.

An inventive and unusually candid portrait capturing a young child seated outdoors within a high-hooded, woven wicker perambulator (baby carriage). Posed facing directly forward beneath a broad-brimmed hat, the child wears a dark jacket over a patterned smock or vest. To control harsh outdoor sunlight and frame the subject, the operator draped a fringed, patterned studio tablecloth across the arched wicker hood of the buggy. Portions of the carriage wheel and spoked gear are visible to the right against an outdoor yard or porch setting.

Given the technical challenges of infant portraiture in the 1850s, outdoor cased daguerreotypes featuring period baby carriages, wicker strollers, and ad-hoc studio staging remain decidedly scarce variations of early American vernacular photography, especially examples where the child seems delighted by the camera operator. 

[Daguerreotype, Sixth Plate, Juvenile Portrait, Child, Baby Carriage, Perambulator, Buggy, Wicker, Stroller, Slouch Hat, Outdoor Photography, Vernacular Photography, Cased Image, 1850s Photography, Folk Art]

Very good condition overall. The plate exhibits fine clarity, clear detail, and smooth tones, showing only faint scattered pinpoint dusting beneath the glass, with a minor spot in the upper right field.