Sixth-plate daguerreotype plate housed under an arched sand-finish gilt brass mat and rope-twist preserver, enclosed in an early black morocco leather miniature case with rounded corners, a push-button release catch, and deep plum silk-velvet facing pad. Attributed to Albert Sands Southworth and Josiah Johnson Hawes, 5-1/2 Tremont Row, Boston, Massachusetts, ca. 1848 -1853. Plate measures approx. 2 3/4 x 3 1/4 in.; case measures approx. 3 1/4 x 3 3/4 in.

A sublime masterwork of early American photographic art, capturing the ethereal grace and soft skylight illumination that define the Boston studio of Albert Sands Southworth and Josiah Johnson Hawes.

The young girl is posed reclining comfortably across a plush, button-tufted studio settee, her head cushioned softly against the bolster. She wears an off-the-shoulder white cotton frock featuring a pleated, gathered bodice, ruffled short sleeves, and an embroidered skirt hem, paired with white stockings and dark leather slippers. Her center-parted dark hair falls smoothly down to her shoulders, framing large, wide-set eyes that meet the camera with relaxed composure.

Unlike the rigid, head-clamped stiffness typical of commercial 19th-century portrait studios, the artistic partnership of Southworth & Hawes sought naturalism, movement, and the spirit of classical painting. Posing very young children in graceful, recumbent postures across their studio furniture was one of Southworth & Hawes' signature aesthetic breakthroughs, eliminating the artificial strain of standing poses while letting the natural skylight model soft shadows across the child's face and drapery. Plates exhibiting this level of painterly composition are celebrated among the highest achievements in 19th-century photography.

[Daguerreotype, Sixth Plate, Southworth and Hawes, Albert Sands Southworth, Josiah Johnson Hawes, Boston, Tremont Row, Child Portrait, Reclining Child, Settee, Tufted Sofa, Push-Button Case, Boston Case, Early American Photography, Fine Art Photography, Cased Image]

Very good to fine condition. The plate displays exquisite tones, luminous highlights, and superb focal resolution. The surface remains remarkably clean with only light peripheral halo tarnish along the inner mat bevel. The original Boston push-button leather case is in excellent structural condition with tight hinge alignment, light shelf rubbing along the rounded leather edges, and a fully functional push-button release mechanism.