Daguerreotype of a Young Fiddler (anonymous photographer), c. 1850's

Daguerreotype of a Young Fiddler (anonymous photographer), c. 1850's, ninth plate, American. , with embossed black leather case.

Here we have a nice "Portrait of the Fiddler as a Young Man." One can just picture our hero, his trusty instrument wedged against his shoulder, as he "saws" away with his bow and calls out "figures" to the local young folks dancing to the jigs and reels emanating from his "old Cremona." His right arm is resting on a book laying on the table: could it be a folio of tunes? (Many fiddlers in the 19th century, who would be classified today as "folk" or "traditional" musicians, were musically literate. Leather-bound folios containing sheet music and/or hand-transcriptions of favorite tunes were often among a fiddler's most prized possessions.)

The young man definitely looks the part with his workaday fiddle weathered from hard use. The tuning pegs appear to be of an unusual configuration with fully-rounded finger holds, possibly incised with minute decorative carvings. Of special note is the large mother of pearl oval "eye" on the tail piece and the idiosyncratic way the "E" and "G" strings are attached.
 
Height is 3 in. (7.6 cm.), 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm.) width

A fine sharp image with great detailing. There is peripheral "crazing" which is common to the format; however, it has negligible impact on the image itself. To be sure, the actual photo is cleaner and better than our scans-- any white flakes or lines you see do not appear on the original image. The case is embossed black leather with a fancy brass latch and framed with painted gold double lines on the top and bottom edges. There's minimal wear though the leather which binds the case's top and bottom is no longer intact. Very Good + Condition.

Item # 1834
 
$500.00