Dennis Waters, Fine Daguerreotypes

Full Salon Archive

CAW-467	THE OCTAGONAL PLASTIC CASE . . . Has chipped and cracked during the sixth plate's 160 year existence and those mold spiders and white specks weren't present in the beginning. While the aging process modified the silvery resealed surface...
CAW-473	THE BEST. How many men and women have you seen in archivally prepared sixth plates holding guitars awkwardly? Immediately it was obvious that the subjects had no clue about actually playing them! Okay, not many I suspect but my point...
CAW-479	A LOOK ALIKE! You will have to read the entire description before I reveal WHOM I think the gentleman with the awesome beard and intelligent brown eyes resembled in the mid-19th century compendium of famous luminaries. No cheating by...
CAW-482	CHEST HAIRS . . . Combed up into that wiry white beard and hair from the side and back of the gent's forward brushed mane created a look that obviously pleased the fellow since he permitted himself to be recorded on a ninth plate dag that...
CAW-483	EXCUSE ME SIR . . . Ah no not you but him as the gent was finally forced to point out who he was speaking to. Having a wandering eye (or possibly in this instance, one made of glass) must have created all sorts of problems for the fellow....
CAW-491	EXPERIMENTAL ILLUMINATION ...in 1846 should tell us something about the courage and artistic insight of this unknown virtuoso. The sixth plate portrait shows a handsome, young father cuddling his little girl close to him in a very...
CAW-81	ALL NATURAL! I was with Casey when he bought the ninth plate of a very sullen child. We both thought that the little girl was being cradled in the arms of her mother or possible a black nanny. When we returned to the studio Casey...
D01-186	GRADUATED! Have you ever seen such a dapper artisan? I suspect that he has served his apprenticeship with a master craftsman and now it was time for the young gent to strike out on his own. He chose an excellent daguerreotypist to...
D01-57	ATTACHED LACE. As you can see, someone used white string to hold that beautiful piece of needle work to the unadorned red velvet pad inside a sixth plate leather case that has a design on the cover that is unique to my eyes (please see...
D02-108	TAKEN AT HOME? Did dad invest in a daguerreotype outfit and decide to perfect his experiments by capturing two of the most difficult subjects imaginable: his adorable daughter or might it be his son, and the family mutt? Bright sunlight...
D02-139	LATE FOR FITZ! A very endearing image of grandma holding her 8-year-old granddaughter's hand in her lap. The little girl leaned in the direction of the ample woman's side. Her natural curiosity bursts out at us when we examine her...
D02-149	YOUNG COWGIRL. Anxious to get out of that chair and back outside to all its wonder, the child is almost falling or jumping out of the seat. She is eager to get back to exploring and imagining, as all young children do. I call her a...
D03-59	INTERESTING. The older sister stood lovingly next to her, with a long slender arm draped over her shoulder while the daguerreotypist struggled to make an acceptable sixth plate for their parents. I am delighted that their portrait has...
D05-115	WHAT MAKES A GREAT DAG? A gorgeous young woman who visited a daguerreotypist with a rather unusual style of producing a sixth plate portrait, that still had original tape seals before Casey did his archival magic, were three key...
D05-128	LOVED ONES ON SILVER. Mother held her cherished daguerreotype displaying a young couple, who might have been their children or one child with his spouse while her grumpy husband, who probably was told the price of their archivally sealed...
D06-131	KIDS ON A COUCH. A rather bland beginning to a miraculous (because although the lad on the left moved during the exposure he is still strongly seen) sixth sized miniature. His older brother, and maybe by not more than a few minutes,...
D06-142	SCALLOPED VIGNETTE! I like mysterious dags, and the serious gal's sixth plate rates an A. First the pose. "Sit ramrod straight in that chair Miss and rest your arm on my enormous Bible, as I am a pious traveling daguerreian and...
D06-160	MATLIDA BAKER . . . is penciled in the bottom of the separated leather case. An absolutely stunning bright blue embossed velvet pad is seen opposite the lass when the broken cover is taken off her countenance. Miss M sat on a cushioned...
D06-195	HIS IMPRINT. Martin M. Lawrence, whose name is clearly seen in the lower left corner of the domed mat, was born in 1808. It has been suggested that he was making daguerreotypes as early as 1842, in his 34th year. By the time this...
D06-196	ON THE MAT. Although it was nearly invisible at first, Casey's young eyes spotted the lengthy imprint across the bottom of the fancy mat. It is: Winder Cor. W(estern) Row & Court Cin. O(hio). John Craig tells us that John W. Winder...
D06-201	SARAH P. KILBURN. Written in the bottom of her whole leather case and on a small scrap of paper is further information about Ms. Kilburn, who is so elegantly posed in her resealed sixth plate likeness. She was from West Newton, MA. ...
D06-222	CHECKERED TROUSERS. The daguerreotypist perfectly posed his freckle-faced subject knowing when the sixth plate fancy oval mat was placed around him the composition would be pleasing. A small chair was used to seat the very handsome kid,...
D06-223	OH NO . . . she must have been thinking. If that MAN says one more bad word to me I'm going to burst into tears. Instead, the extremely discontented little girl produced her best frown while boring into the lens with those deep-set dark...
D06-69	IMPECCABLE! The lovely woman posed for her resealed quarter plate masterwork in the studio of Henry E. Insley, probably while he operated at 122 Broadway, circa 1847-50. Insley is very familiar to me and I have included a couple examples...
D07-101	TWINS? Casey first mentioned that the lovely pair of posers were definitely sisters and I immediately concurred. There is a creamy richness on the perfect silver surfaced resealed sixth plate that adds to the superlative nature of their...
D07-125	PAINTED THREESOME! Startled children! The brother was seated in a kid's high chair obscured with a bolt of fabric. He was flanked by his equally surprised sisters. The older girl entwined her arm with his while the younger cherub...
D07-133	HER SOFT SMILE. Created in a style that strongly resembles daguerreotypes produced by Southworth & Hawes in Boston, this resilvered retaped ninth plate truly sparkles when the smiling gal's very worn red velvet oval push button case is...
D07-162	HETTIE COLLINS. Not on my best scanning day could I possibly replicate the delicate creaminess of the lovely lady's neatly sealed sixth plate gem. Ms. Collins sat in a classic daguerreian pose and was given a small dag case to hold...
D07-175	SOPHISTICATED! And very tinted too. At least the colorist used a medium red to accentuate the tablecloth and maybe a subtler shade on her face, hands and lips. The lady posed with great strength and prominence in her archivally renewed...
D07-181	WITHOUT HESITATION. He may have been a shy man, a bit bashful at times, especially when in the presence of a stranger. After a bit of talking with Anson, the young man was calmed a bit, and become more relaxed for his portrait. Still,...
D07-198	COMFORTABLE! As the light streamed into the room from the window, with part of the molding visible on the right side of this magnificent archivally taped quarter plate, someone's beautiful dog reclined totally relaxed while watching the...
D07-204	PERFECT CHILDREN! Should I really attempt to embellish this perfect, archivally restored quarter plate masterpiece? Why not? The manner of their inspired pose with the chair in the background out of focus created almost a visual 3-D...
D07-229	WILLIAMSON MAGIC! As I have lamented in the past, making even an adequate scan of ninth plate oval likenesses that should be considered the epitome of artistic and technical daguerreian excellence is virtually impossible. Such is the...
D07-6	THOSE ARE CLOUDS! An outstanding scenic view of a house taken by "C.S. Cobb artist" in "Cumberland (a tiny town a few miles southeast of Zanesville) Gurnsey Co. Ohio on June 23 1855 the anniversary of my birth 21 years ago". The question...
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...
D07-82	IT'S UNUSUAL . . . to have a child pose in this manner with one arm thrust through the back of a chair while seated and turned sideways! Studying the lad's stern expression might be an indication of why the maker opted for the arrangement....
D07-9	FOLKS HAVE ASKED ME . . . if kids shown wearing painted red necklaces really did have them in that color. I have seen jewelry from the mid-19th century in different faded hues so I suspect that red was accurate. The girl's bright...
D07-92	GOODNESS GRACIOUS! Has an attractive teenager ever been daguerreotyped in a sixth sized dream wearing a more proactively patterned dress? Not only did her maker create a sensational rich and mind bending masterwork, he used a standard...
D07-AA	MYSTERY! I can recite a monologue detailing the nuances about this splendid candid outdoor sixth plate that has new seals and was copied from another daguerreotype OR I will briefly state the facts. I have never seen a more relaxed...
D08-130	A BUYER'S WISH! Could a tiny girl wearing a marvelous dress that changes hues and contrast while the sixth plate is rotated be any more coquettish? Seen originally through filthy glass in less than perfect viewing light, which is how Erin,...
D08-140	SO CLOSE! He was a young handsome character, posed so darned close to the lens that his clear pale eyes light up his retaped sixth plate portrait. Don't you love his red cheeks and sporty blue tie! As wonderful as he is, wait until you...
D08-142	SOMETIMES . . . The dag God is kind to children and fools. The latter in this specific example is a moron who altered the appearance of this charming resealed sixth plate dag. Someone removed a perfectly fine brass mat from circa 1848...
D08-153	EXCHANGING PLEASANTRIES. Obviously the daguerreotypist knew that this friendly lass had great potential and I'm certain he treated her with kindness and respect. Both were rewarded with one of those special archivally sealed sixth plate...
D08-155	CONTEMPLATING LIFE. The richest tonality possible in a daguerreotype is the overriding impression I have of this superbly posed young woman, seated in an unseen chair. Her left elbow is placed upon a small table and she has tilted her...
D08-172	WALKIN' AWAY! This little tyke, another charming childhood sixth plate by Rufus Anson, just wouldn't stand still in front of the camera. Even his/her mother, whose dark dress is very evident, couldn't convince the kid to remain unmoving....
D08-196	PINK!!!!! "Presented to S.J. Bondervant by W.H. Peeples November 28 1858" was written in the bottom of the handsome little boy's mother of pearl and Japanned Black wooden and paper case. Two of the largest pieces of the M-O-P are...
D08-214	MOTHER'S ANGEL! Specks in the brilliantly polished silver are visible in the upper right corner and a few mat scrapes in the patina are the only meaningless flaws in what I would describe as a pristine archivally taped quarter plate...
D08-219	PASSED ALONG! If care is taken while examining their depth defying silver surface holding a superbly fashioned archivally taped sixth plate any person will observe freckles on the youngster's forehead. A quick glance at the handsome...
D08-223	SHE'S RELAXED! The young beauty wore an elegant ensemble for her brilliantly produced archivally resealed quarter plate that has four sides bent upwards at almost a 90 degree angle. Because of that feature and unbelievable technical...
D08-229	AND DON'T YOU KNOW? We have all seen this style of hat on many of the men, especially of Irish descent who worked their claims in the gold fields of California and later during the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad after the...
D08-238	FLAWLESS BLONDE! A young boy immaculately dressed and perfectly groomed was seated on a man sized painted wooden chair. One arm was propped at an angle on a white tablecloth with a blue tinted pattern. He held a book in both his hands...
D09-0F	THE OPEN BOOK! Would this tome have been brought to a daguerreian's studio by his pensive subject to include in her archivally taped sixth plate formal portrait? The placement of her hand on the page was a masterful compositional touch of...
D09-0J	CHURCHILL SIGNED! Once you know where to look in the pair of sixth plate portraits that are retaped, it is easy to find the daguerreotypist's name carefully inscribed along the bottom of the small book placed with a larger tome on top of...
D09-0K	THOSE PALE . . . Green eyes were wide open while the gorgeous young female concentrated away from the obvious place to look (into the lens) and dreamily rose to another level in her mind while being daguerreotyped in quarter size that was...
D09-170	CANVAS TO SILVER . . . And there was absolutely nothing lost in the original drawing that an extremely adept operator copied on to his sixth plate that had additional silver on both sides. The resealed image is a masterpiece, taken circa...
D09-175	COQUETTISH! Sophisticated illumination from a skylight and a very unusual pose for such an adorable little girl in her own dreamlike world should instantly attract any collector of fine daguerreotypes. If that isn't enough look into...
D09-179	IN THEIR BACK YARD! Check out this magnificent sixth plate! Needless to say, dad most likely was the daguerreotypist and yes; all those dark marks are mat scrapes. A previous person decided to clean the surface then use a mat with a...
D09-185	HOOP, STICK & HAT! The daguerreotypist who either was an itinerant or worked outside the urban areas of the US about 1848-50, and that was most everywhere else in our great nation, realized that if the kid wore that wonder hat he might...
D09-197	FRANZ MELCHERS . . . Was born in the grand Duchy of Oldenburg Germany Jan. 9 1826 and graduated at Bremerhaven in 1841. He arrived in Charleston SC April 1846. (His obituary says 1843 and I have not been able to determine which date is...
D09-202	"GODDARD . . . WOONSOCKET" was stamped in the lower left corner of the oval brass mat surrounding the cunning kid posed for a tinted sixth plate portrait. The most remarkable feature of the entire tableau is the child's multi colored...
D1-69	EYES WIDE OPEN . . . arms folded! His magnificent head is tilted to a degree that borders upon arrogance. Who the heck was the man? He posed with such a barely hidden sense of coiled power that he frightens me every time I open the...
D7-268	HE'S SOOO CUTE. I have never been so compelled to reach into a sixth plate and gently grasp a kid by his shoulders and give him a bear hug. The standing boy, so perfectly balanced; resting his hand on a low table top and holding his...
EEW-119	SHAKIN' ALL OVER! Hey, I'm NOT making sport of the elderly woman who wore her mop cap and was bundled up so she didn't catch a chill while she visited a local daguerreian to have this remarkable resealed quarter plate dag taken. ...
EEW-124	THE SIGNS . . . are unmistakable according to my wife Carol, who is a pediatrics nurse. The rather apprehensive young woman clutching her young son was definitely pregnant when she had their sixth plate portrait taken sometime after 1850....
EEW-125	ALL IS BETTER! When have you seen such a luscious preview of the original resealed sixth plate portrait that I presented in this adequate scan? The pretty teenager focused her green eyes across the room while the daguerreotypist exposed...
EEW-132	WHO THOUGHT . . . Comb overs were invented in the last century? Raise your hands! This scowling stern disciplinarian didn't give a hoot what anyone thought of his appearance, did he? When he walked into the dag saloon for his retaped (by...
EEW-134	GOLLY GEE! Not only do I not recall seeing that splendid wooden chair in another sixth plate dag that has a new seal, but I have never seen one like it during 25 years of antiquing. The woman's hooded eyes casually peered at the camera...
EEW-137	"HOLD YOUR BREATH . . . Little gals," the daguerreotypist said with a smile on his face so he didn't frighten his tiny subjects. The man had placed the tiny child in his small wooden chair and instructed her sister to stand behind and...
EEW-140	FADED GLORY. Although the older woman's ninth plate English daguerreotype has deteriorated some, the fact that she was taken close up then delicately hand tinted outweighs the original aging flaws. Her operator used three light sources...
EEW-143	ALWAYS FOCUS FIRST! That was a lesson learned by many not so skilled daguerreotypists when they approached the process of making resealed sixth plate images. It is obvious in this example, showing a little lass who in the blink of an eye...
EEW-145	TRULY . . . Couldn't the operator have selected a better pose for such a friendly freckle faced young woman who sat so patiently in that stilted position while her resealed sixth plate was made? The tinted tablecloth, partially painted...
EEW-146	WITH THESE TWO FINGERS . . . Okay I just might be "poking fun" at the pleasant woman dressed in darkness and daguerreotyped at the edge of a black hole with ample light illuminating the subject on the front edge of infinity. Her resealed...
EEW-150	NOT A BASHFUL BOY! He was a charmer while he sat still for a ninth plate dag that tells me the daguerreian probably had to ask repeatedly for his subject's silence so the likeness could be taken. When I lifted off the separated cover of...
EEW-157	STUDIO HAT? Would that child have worn such a large headgear into the daguerreotypist's gallery accompanied by a parent to have his sixth plate taken? It appears to have been placed next to the kid's hand on the table as a prop used to...
EEW-158	WILL-O'-THE-WISP! At first glance the resealed sixth plate is unusual because of all the space around the youngster seated on that large wooden chair. He was dressed nicely and wore an apprehensive expression on his face. Full frontal...
EEW-22	SIGNED IN THE SILVER . . . by the maker Silvester! Unfortunately I don't know any more about the daguerreotypist except that Erin and I both believe that the suave young gentleman posed for his archivally taped sixth plate somewhere in...
EEW-61	PASSIVE CONFIDENCE. Unlike another male dag in this offering, the fellow in this sixth plate that was sealed a couple days ago, has a calming affect on the viewer when the separated leather case cover is removed. The maker must have...
MASCHER-D	NOT ORIGINAL. The pair of ma and pa tintypes inside the quarter plate push button leather case adorned front and back with a pebbled surface are not original to this "Mascher's Improved Stereoscope" that was constructed by John F. Mascher...