Daguerreotype of an Early American Railroad Locomotive

Erscheinungsdatum: 1852

Beschreibung

Original quarter plate daguerreotype. Slightly oversized quarter plate with the image size approximately 3½" x 4½". Matted with preserver in original embossed leather case with original pink silk plush pinch pad inside the front cover. Image has been professionally cleaned and resealed, it displays some tarnish at the edges but is otherwise bright and very near fine. The spine of the case is a bit weakened and displays signs of wear (and might eventually need to be renewed), rubbing on the case, overall the case is very good. A terrific outdoor daguerreotype of an early train locomotive stopped at a train station in front of a printing office, with steam visible billowing from the stack. All of the lettering in the image (shop windows, on the side of the train, etc.) is reversed, as is the case in a daguerreotype image, but the engine bears the words across the side: "Niagara No. 38" (the likely designated name of the engine, presumably manufactured by the then dominant American manufacturer, Norris Locomotive Works in Philadelphia). Additionally, behind the train is a sign: "Printing Office" and below the steam is a dark, barely visible sign "A.D. Root," likely the name of the propitiator of the printing office. In the background of the image, slightly obscured by the mat is a barely readable building sign advertising "H. Griswold / Variety Store" [note: possibly "R. Griswold"]. In the background, on the far side of the train is a small visible figure, likely the conductor or engineer of the train. The process of creating daguerreotypes outside of the studio, where the atmosphere, lighting, and movement could be carefully controlled by the photographer, was artistically and technically fraught. Because of the relatively long exposure times required to capture the image, the subject had to remain motionless, with the result that any motion would register on the image as a blur, or a "ghost". Accordingly, clear and unblemished outdoor dags are avidly sought after, and seldom found. In the case of this particular daguerreotype, an additional artistic element is present. Because of the consistent nature of the billow of steam from the engine's stack, presumably throughout the length of time of the exposure, the space filled by the steam has remained constant, and essentially registers in the image as being unblurred. This circumstance has resulted in an extraordinary image: essentially an image that does the opposite of most other daguerreotype examples: one that actually appears to convey motion, despite the fact that the train remained motionless throughout. We have as yet not determined the manufacturer of the engine, but the braking mechanism is similar to those in use on other locomotives of the 1830s to the mid-1840s (the dag would in all likelihood been taken sometime later than the manufacturing date of the engine). Our attributed date range is additionally based upon the style of the mat and the preserver used in the cased image. Reportedly the first photograph of an American train (or of any locomotive), was a daguerreotype of the locomotive *Tioga* leaving the Norris Locomotive Works in Pennsylvania, taken in 1848. While this daguerreotype cries out for additional research, there can be little doubt that it qualifies as one of the very earliest-known photographs of an American locomotive. An extraordinary and historically notable daguerreotype. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 588370

Bibliografische Details

Titel: Daguerreotype of an Early American Railroad ...

Erscheinungsdatum: 1852

Zustand: Near Fine