Sixth-plate studio portrait daguerreotype beneath a heavy, nonpareil stippled octagonal brass mat, housed without a preserver in a velvet-lined wood case frame. N.p., dated 7 May 1847 in period ink and pencil. Housed in a full dark brown leatherette case blind-embossed with scrolled strapwork cartouches and foliate flourishes. Interior lid retains a rose-pink silk facing pad extensively inscribed in multiple period hands: "May 7 / 1847 / D. Marble / May 7 1847 / 5/7/1847 / Danerick [Danforth] Marble."

A rare, precisely dated 1847 daguerreotype capturing the celebrated 19th-century American actor and theatrical pioneer, Danforth "Dan" Marble (1810-1849). Posed seated three-quarter length facing the viewer, Marble rests his left arm against an adjacent studio table draped in a patterned coverlet, his right hand resting casually in his lap. His characteristic wavy dark hair is parted in the center and flared wide above the ears. He wears formal gentleman's attire of the 1840s: a dark tailored coat with cloth-covered buttons, matching waistcoat, high white shirt with upturned collar points, and a wide dark neckcloth neatly tied in a bow.

Marble was one of the most famous theatrical stars of the antebellum American stage. Renowned nationwide as the foremost interpreter of the quintessential stage "Yankee," Marble popularized comic vernacular characters like Sam Patch, Lot Sap Sago, and Deuteronomy Dutiful across New York, Boston, New Orleans, and the frontier riverboat circuits, even touring England to great acclaim. His career was tragically cut short when he died of cholera in Louisville, Kentucky, in May 1849 at the age of 38.

[Daguerreotype, Sixth Plate, Dan Marble, Danforth Marble, Actor, Theatre, Theater, Stage Yankee, Comedian, Sam Patch, 1847, Dated 1847, Performing Arts, American Theatre, Cased Image, 1840s Photography, Antebellum Americana]

Good condition. The daguerreotype exhibits fine contrast, excellent midtones, and strong focal detail. The plate displays scattered, typical aging including spots of green and dark chemical tarnish and oxidation, along with surface wiping lines and spotting visible across his lap and the lower field.