Portrait of a gentleman

Details

Portrait of a gentleman
Half-plate daguerreotype, gilt-lined paper mount, glazed and taped, the reverse with paper label Mr E. Monson, (Licensee for Essex and part of Suffolk.) Daguerreotype Artist, Falcon Street, Ipswich. Direction -- Hang the Picture about the height of the eye, and let the top of it slant away from the wall. The objects portrayed can be most distinctly seen in strong light.

Literature

Bernard & Pauline Heathcote (2002), A Faithful Likeness. The First Photographic Portrait Studios in the British Isles 1841-1855, p. 98.

Lot Essay

Edward Monson opened a photographic studio in Ipswich in 1849 which remained working until 1853. His daguerreotype license also covered the greater part of Essex and was later extended to the whole county and a portion of Suffolk. Monson was responsible for designing a machine for manufacturing daguerreotype plates which he patented.

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