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THBWhole Plate Daguerreotype of a Naval Officer by James Earle McClees, Philadelphia
About Seller
6270 Este Ave.
Cincinnati , OH 45232
United States
With offices in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Denver, Cowan’s holds over 40 auctions each year, with annual sales exceeding $16M. We reach buyers around the globe, and take pride in our reputation for integrity, customer service and great results. A full-service house, Cowan’s Auctions specializes in Am...Read more
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About Auction
LiveJun 9, 2017 - Jun 10, 2017
Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
View Full Catalog (392)
- Lot Description
Striking whole plate daguerreotype of an unidentified naval officer, displayed under mat stamped McClees at lower left and Phila at lower right. Housed in full leather case.
The unknown subject in the portrait wears the full dress, double-breasted frock coat appearing to rank as Master. Note the white gloves typically worn for formal occasions. The uniform coat may be partially transitional, but the sword he holds is unquestionably the Model 1852 tied to the new Navy Regulations of the same year. The collar for a line officer was traditionally worn standing up. Except for two rows of thin gold lace around the edges the collar rank was plain for a Master, having no insignia. Here the collar is worn down while the coat appears to have been made this way. A Master's simple cuff rank consisted of three large naval anchor buttons sewn horizontally across. However, the three smaller anchor buttons sewn vertically near the back of the cuff are not visible in this portrait. The gold dress epaulets show the smaller wire coils consistent with a Master. While the top of the epaulets are unadorned by regulations, this pair appears to include raised insignia of some sort near the top edge. The officer wears a striking beaver skin cocked dress hat (or fore-and-aft cap) trimmed in black silk with six twisted metallic gold coils and black silk cockade, which was not universally worn.
James E. McClees (1821-1887) was a highly accomplished daguerreotypist, active in both Philadelphia and Washington, DC over a period of more than 20 years. This large and costly portrait is a remarkable example of his work. Philadelphia was home to a large navy yard at the time.
Image exceptionally clear. With some spotting, including small green spot just to the left of his white glove.Condition
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