Bidspirit auction | Mid-19th Century Ninth-Plate Daguerreotype Portrait

Mid-19th Century Ninth-Plate Daguerreotype Portrait of a Young Woman - This mid-19th century ninth-plate daguerreotype features a bust-length portrait of a young woman with a serious expression. She is depicted with her hair in a center part, wearing a period-appropriate off-the-shoulder patterned dress. The photograph is a unique image on silver-plated copper, a hallmark of the daguerreotype process. The portrait is housed in a decorative brass mat featuring foliate corner scrolls and a textured oval inner border, all secured by a brass preserver. This style of casing is characteristic of the mid-Victorian era, which also saw the rise of similar formats like the ambrotype. No signatures, maker marks, or labels are visible on the object. Width measures approximately 1 5/8 inches and height measures approximately 2 inches. The image surface shows significant oxidation spotting and tarnish, particularly visible in photos 1, 3, and 4. The protective glass seal appears to have failed, leading to these surface defects. The brass preserver frame is dented and warped, with notable damage to the reverse as seen in photo 2.