Pair of quarter-plate ruby ambrotypes. N.p., ca. late 1850s. Housed together in a double-sided leatherette folding case with intact central spine hinge.

A rare side-by-side pairing of cased images documenting both the public trade and private domestic life of an American artisan. The left plate presents a truly exceptional occupational study of the blacksmith at work in his shop or an elaborate studio reconstruction of his forge. Dressed in utilitarian work clothes, rolled sleeves, a dark apron, and a soft tradesman's cap, he stands behind his anvil holding an iron tool, surrounded by an extraordinary array of trade equipment: horseshoes hanging from an overhead beam, tongs, hammers, swages, an upright tool rack, and a workbench bristling with his specialized ironworking implements.

The companion plate on the right offers a striking contrast in presentation and social respectability, capturing the same smith cleaned up and formally attired alongside his wife. The craftsman wears a tailored dark suit, white collared shirt, and bow tie, his hands folded across his lap; his wife sits beside him in a voluminous dark silk dress with a delicate lace collar and net mitts.

Paired cased images that unite an unvarnished occupational scene with a formal domestic studio portrait of the identical subject are rare. 

[Ambrotype, Ruby Glass, Quarter Plate, Occupational, Blacksmith, Smithy, Forge, Anvil, Horseshoes, Ironworker, Tools, Husband and Wife, Double Case, Cased Image, 19th Century Photography, Vernacular Portraiture]

Excellent condition overall. Both ruby ambrotype plates are nearly flawless and exhibit strong tonal depth, deep contrast, and fine definition.