Ninth plate seated studio portrait daguerreotype. N.p.: n.p., ca 1850s. Heavy brass preserver and scalloped scrollwork mat. Exceptional, rare book-form papier-mâché / lacquer case featuring a faux-tortoiseshell tiger-stripe lacquer ground with an ornate hand-painted floral bouquet in pink, yellow, and green pigments, framed by gilt scrollwork and corner flourishes, with gold-tooled leather spine and functioning brass clasp. 

The portrait captures a young child attired in a tailored plaid tunic with a crisp white collar and bow tie. Resting securely in the child's lap and cradled within both hands is a curled, sleeping kitten. The background features subtle hand-applied rose tinting along the studio chair fabric.

Nineteenth-century photographs featuring cats are among the most coveted subgenres in early photography. Due to the relatively long exposure times required by the daguerreian process, getting a frisky cat to remain perfectly motionless was notoriously difficult; successful, tack-sharp portraits of cats and kittens rarely survived without motion blur. Paired with a scarce, richly decorated hand-painted lacquer case, this is an outstanding collector's piece.

[Daguerreotype, Early Photography, 19th Century Photography, Ninth-Plate, Cased Images, Cats, Kittens, Animal Photography, Children with Pets, Plaid Dress, Papier-Mache Case, Tortoiseshell Lacquer, Hand-Painted Case, Victorian Childhood, Folk Art]

Very good. The plate displays crisp definition, with a light peripheral tarnish ring and minor dusting under the glass. The hand-painted lacquer case is solid and vibrant.