Sixth-plate occupational studio portrait ambrotype. N.p., ca. late 1850s. Housed in a full embossed dark brown leatherette case.

A sensational, dramatic antebellum occupational portrait capturing a dentist in the middle of a tooth extraction. Staged in an interactive and dynamic studio composition, the bearded practitioner stands above his patient attired in a tailored dark frock coat and black cravat, firmly bracing the patient's head with his left hand wrapped around the jaw. In his right hand, the dentist wields a metal extraction instrument, positioned directly inside the patient's open mouth. The seated patient tilts his head back in visible distress, his lips and chin vividly highlighted with hand-applied crimson pigment to simulate bleeding from the procedure.

Occupational cased images documenting mid-19th-century dentistry and surgery are among the most celebrated and avidly collected subgenres of early American photography. Action-oriented portraits that depict hands-on procedures like this, especally when embellished with "blood," are rare.

[Ambrotype, Sixth Plate, Occupational, Medical, Dentistry, Dentist, Dental Key, Extraction, Tooth Extraction, Forceps, Blood, Hand-Colored, Surgeon, Surgery, Cased Image, 19th Century Photography, Vernacular Americana]

Very good condition overall. The ambrotype exhibits fine tone and crisp sharpness. The plate shows scattered pinpoint dusting beneath the glass and faint surface marks in the clear background field.