D07-70. "BOGARDUS . . . Greenwich St. Corner Barclay N.Y." was pressed into the reverse of a near mint leather case that contains a brightly hand colored kid seated in a small wooden chair. Since the paper seals appeared to be original I noted that the pattern of stains in the bottom of the sixth plate case (from those first seals) favorably matched. That permits me to confidently state that Abraham Bogardus was the daguerreian who made this magnificent childhood miniature. The startled kid, most likely a little boy, grabbed the arms of a tiny chair that was placed near that small table topped with a tinted fabric. A large widow high and towards the left of the camera's position was the main source of reflected sunshine that entered the studio. White fabric was placed on both sides of the child to bounce back the illumination and soften any shadows. Bogardus opened his first studio in New York City circa 1846 and worked as a daguerreotypist and photographer for about 41 years before retiring in 1887. I think the most amazing statistic that I have read about him was his claim to have produced approximately 200,000 dags! The lad offered here is typical of his work. Outstanding contrast, superb reflected depth and remarkable tonality. Bogardus was a top tier operator with a wide following. Large patches of patina are present on an otherwise exceptional sparkling silvered surface. This is a rare opportunity to own a child's portrait that has never been apart since the day it was made circa 1850. I will mention that all the spots and a layer of moisture under the glass actually dull down the impact of the explosiveness. Casey will gladly make a new archival seal for an additional $30. AND if you need a further reason to buy the dag, I do believe that delta shaped object on the lower left side of the off-white smock is a horse fly! The price as offered is $875.