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

An exceptional occupational portrait documenting a young tinsmith seated beside an extensive display of his craft. Posed full-length in a studio setting, the clean-shaven tradesman wears a dark vest over a white collared shirt with rolled sleeves, trousers, and work boots, sporting a chin beard and a watch chain anchored to his waistcoat. Resting across his lap and balanced upon a spiral-turned pedestal table is an imposing cast-iron sheet-metal shaping stake, held firmly with both hands. On the tabletop stands a handmade cylindrical metal vessel with an arched wire bail handle, alongside a specialized hammer.

Occupational cased images featuring tinsmiths accompanied by their tools and wares wares are exceedingly scarce. A top-shelf occupational. 

[Ambrotype, Quarter Plate, Occupational, Tinsmith, Coppersmith, Sheet Metal Worker, Iron Stakes, Creasing Tool, Metal Can, Pedestal Table, Tradesman, Cased Image, 19th Century Photography, Antebellum Portraiture]

Excellent condition overall. The ambrotype exhibits outstanding clarity, balanced tones, and a virtually untouched surface.