Sixth plate studio portrait tintype. N.p.: n.p., ca 1870s-1880s. Uncased, with an ornate, heavy brass preserver and scalloped scrollwork mat. Verso bears later etched/scratched markings, perhaps initials or other identifying markings. 

The composition centers on a rugged, young Western hunter or trapper seated in a frontier studio setting. He is outfitted in a classic Western fringed buckskin jacket over a dark vest and collared shirt, wide-brimmed slouch hat, trousers, and a cartridge/holster belt at his waist. In his left hand, he holds an upright long rifle or fowling piece resting on the floor. Posed immediately beside him on a rustic birch-log table top is a large, standing taxidermy black bear mount with paws outstretched, while a sleeping hunting hound / retriever lies curled at his feet against a painted studio backdrop.

Frontier studio portraits featuring full taxidermy mounts alongside authentic buckskin-clad hunters and firearms are exceptionally rare and visually striking. Photographers working in gateway Western outposts and sporting centers often maintained elaborate rustic props and taxidermy specimens to appeal to returning hunters, guides, and trappers seeking to commemorate their wilderness pursuits. The combination of the fringed hide coat, long gun, sleeping dog, and the dramatic full-size bear mount creates an unforgettable Western tableau.

[American West, Frontiersman, Trapper, Hunter, Taxidermy, Black Bear, Buckskin Jacket, Rifle, Hunting Dog, Rustic Furniture, Western Americana, Frontier Photography, 19th Century Firearms, American Frontier] [Photography, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Tintype, Ferrotype, Sixth-Plate, Cased Images, Occupational Photography, Western Photographers]

The plate has several significant bends.