Dennis A. Waters, Fine Daguerreotypes

Ambrotypes

A-129. GRANNY. You have to wonder, with the look she's giving the photographer, if the maker was indeed her grandson. This ninth plate ambro is in nice condition and comes in a half case. $45

A-128. YOUNG MAN. This sixth plate is so sharp that you can see the individual hairs on the stubble of his chin. The image is in nice condition and comes in a case with split spine. $50
A-82. COLUMBUS GROUP. This half plate ambrotype is by Winchester of Columbus. I'd say it dates to the mid 1850s. The condition is pristine. The younger man on the right moved his head just a bit, but his hand, on his brother's shoulder, is super sharp. I'm guessing that this is a family portrait. I wonder at the strange position of the woman's hands; one is made into a fist that the other cups. Winchester was a capable maker (and former daguerreian) and is listed in Craig's Daguerreian Registry as working in Columbus from 1856-57 "on the corner of South High Street between State and Town Streets, and lived on Town Street... he advertised as the only artist taking 'patented... double-glass ambrotypes' and had received first premium at the State Fair. He also advertised the exclusive right to melainotype." The mat is stamped "patent ambrotype", suggesting that is an example of the double-glass type. The ambro comes in a whole case with split spine that is not original. The one I bought it with had pretty much only a cover and a few rails going for it. This image was made during the daguerreian era and rivals most dags in sharpness and execution. $985
Tintypes
T-442. DAG COPY. This is one of the neatest dag copies I've seen since it shows the clamp and the mat and case bottom. It also shows you that cases were falling apart by the 1870s. The image has a few marks on it. I taped it back into the paper frame. $95
T-104. LOTS OF CURLS. This girl took a long while to primp for her portrait. Those curls and braided hair must have taken hours! The bow on her head is tinted pink and her one visible earring gold. The image is in fine condition. $15
T-441. PAINTED DROP. This tin is in good condition. $8
T-445. HOLDING HATS. I like the competing backdrops here. The tin has a few light marks. Their cheeks are tinted. $20
T-177. OILED HAIR. This guy got out the pomade to prepare for his portrait. He wears a heart pinned to his vest. I wonder what the significance was? The image is half plate size and taped to an original mat. There is scuffing on the image, but most of it is visible only at one angle. There is a small mark, nearly invisible, on his moustache. $40
T-444. COPY OF A TIN. The copy is well done and the image is nearly perfect. $15
T-443. CLARINETIST. I wonder which marching band this guy was in? I have a feeling the open book on the table is music. The tin has some light marks. $125
Cartes de Visites & Cabinet Cards
CDV-558. LOVELY. I've always liked this portrait by Wenderoth, Taylor and Brown of Philadelphia. The image is in good condition and is lightly tinted. There is a partial revenue stamp on the back. $28
CDV-112. GIRLS VIGNETTE. I've always been intrigued by the look on the face of the girl on the right. The image is by J. Loeffler's Photographic Gallery in Tompkinsville on Staten Island. The back has a three-cent revenue stamp. The image has a few spots and two pinpricks at the top. $18
CDV-559. A SIGNATURE. The signature under W. H. MacKay's portrait really makes for a nice composition. The photo is in good condition. Written on the back, also in pen is, "Johnston 167 B-way NY." $35
CDV-86. WHIPPLE WOMAN. I like how this CDV shows the sweep of the woman's dress. The image is faded and the spots you see are from retouching, I think. The woman is wearing tight leather gloves and a white cap. The image is from Whipple's studio at 297 Washington St. $22
CDV-560. BLUE BOWS. The blue and gold tinting are very bright here. Her name was Mary Burian and the photographer was L. F. Hammer of St. Louis, MO. Other than slight cropping at the bottom, the CDV has good condition. $14
CW-578. LOOKS LIKE A POLITCIAN. That's my take anyway. This unidentified CDV has a few marks. $18
CDV-557. GREAT POSE. This image is by Finley & Sons of Canandaigua, NY. The image has light marks. $24
CC-589. DOUBLE PORTRAIT. This is a lovely double image of a young boy. The image has some scuffing in the center between the two portraits. $65
CC-590. GREAT BACKDROP. I can't tell for sure, but it looks like the tinting artist embellished a lot of the backdrop here. The Danish woman's image is in nice condition but for a few spots. The photographer was Hansen & Weller of Copenhagen. $75
CW-582. SUMMER COTTAGE. This couple was Uncle Will and Aunt Alice Wright. The photographer was E.J. Cox of Greenville, PA. The image has a few marks. $14
CC-591. BROTHER AND SISTER? I'm not sure if they were, but the setting is the same. Each image is pretty cute. The boy's image is near perfect while the girl's has a few marks at the top. $45
DAD-112. BELL MAKERS. Someone who speaks German should be able to figure out what's written on these bells. About all I understood was 'glocken'. The card is in nice condition but for pinpricks in the center edge of each side. $85
Other Photos
SNAP-304. PHOTOGRAPHER. This 4.5 x 3.5 snap comes from an album full of naval images from the WWII era. The snap has a few marks. $75
RPPC-510. LEARNING TO HIT. He let the kid dress in the funny clothes and the punched him. There are a few marks on the photo and a few gentle bends at the bottom. $25
OP-58. SOLDIERS POKER PARTY. Someone wrote "8th U.S. Infantry/Philipines c. 1908" on the back of this mounted, 5 1/2 x 6 1/2, photo. There are nine men in the photo and they are drinking Hunter Baltimore Rye. It seems they are playing for chips as well as bars of soap. There are tons of photos pinned to the walls, mostly of women. The photo has a few scratches on the image. $32
SNAP-309. DOWN LOW. It's a cute image. It measures 3.5 x 5.75 and has a few light marks. $10
OP-551. MILTON. I wonder what Milton sounded like? This 5 x 7 photo is a bit dirty and has a bend at the lower left. $25
SNAP-307. OOPS. I know it looks like seaweed encroaching on the couple, but what you're seeing is the results of a negative being developed in water that was too hot. The image is in good condition and measures 2.25 x 3.75. $50
RPPC-508. PURPLE TIE. Yep, that's what color the stripes are. The image is in nice condition. $18
SNAP-308. YOUNG CADET? He looks like he might be standing outside a beach house. The 3.5 square image is in good condition but for a bend in the lower left corner. $10
CW-581. WOLF MAN. This neat copy of an artwork is by Lewis of Lebanon, NH. The image has a few spots and light marks. It measures 5 x 8. $35
SNAP-303. FIGHTER CAPS. In the photo with just the boys, the one in the front is pointing a gun at the camera. You can see its shadow on his sweater. That image measures 4.25 x 2.5 and the other is slightly smaller. $20
RPPC-512. BOY AND COWS. I wonder if he raised them himself? Both images have a few light marks. He gives us a grin in one photo and moved his head in the other. $85
CW-579. PHOTOSTRIP. The strip measures 1 x 5.25. There are light marks on the photos and a horizontal bend across the one second down. $8
OP-155. CAMP CROWD AT CUBA LAKE. Each person is identified on the back of this boudoir photograph. Two of the women hold pug dogs and one of the men holds a palm fan. The image has good tone. It has some spots and marks on the surface and the corners are a bit worn. $35
RPPC-507. KIDS AND PETS. The pony even has a bow at its ear. The coloring is imprecise, but nice. The image is in good condition. $35
CW-580. POLKA DOTS. This photo booth image is a tad larger than the norm. It has light marks. $10
SNAP-306. EVERGLADES? I think these photos are from Florida. Each has only green tinting. The images are 4.5 x 2.75 and in good condition. $15
RPPC-509. MAGIC MONKEY? He moved a bit in his conjuring pose. The image is in good condition but for a bend at the lower right. $95
SNAP-302. RELAXING. This image is postcard sized and is on heavy stock. $10
OP-552. SURPRISED. This old guy has a great look on his face. The back reads, "John Stiner - snapshot - rear of home of his son G. P. Stiner in Orangeville." The mounted image measures 5 inches square and has light marks. $35
SNAP-305. EATING ICECREAM. It looks like the flavor might not have been to her liking. The 3.75 x 4.75 image is in good condition. $15
RPPC-511. PUTTING ON LIPSTICK. This European postcard is in good condition except for a bit of dirt at the bottom. $105
OP-550. TYPES OF BIRDS. I'll leave it to you to identify the birds and their eggs. The image is a bit dirty and has a few other light marks. It measures 5.25 x 4.25. $50
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