Lot 262

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Description:

Brady & Handy Daguerreotype Plate Attributed to Edgar Allan Poe

Plate measures 6.5" x 8.5", no place, undated [Ca. 1840s]. The image is of a middle-aged man, with dark hair, a mustache, large dark eyes, and a high forehead. He is dressed in a dark suit. The reverse of the plate is engraved "HANDY WASH, D.C." This remarkable daguerreotype has been attributed to the gothic poet, Edgar Allan Poe, as it bears a striking resemblance to him and has a pencil inscription on verso that reads "Edgar Allen [sic] Poe." We are always hesitant to conclusively identify celebrities in photographs, and although one scholar doubts the validity of the claim, we feel positive about attributing this photograph to Poe. The plate has been framed in brass, double-paned frame to the overall size of 8.5" x 10.5".

Accompanying the plate is a photograph made from the plate, measuring 5" x 7.25". The name "POE" has been written in an unknown hand at the lower left corner of the photograph; clearly, we aren't the only ones who believe in the attribution! The plate has numerous stains and abrasions, similar to the whole plate daguerreotypes now owned by the Library of Congress, which they acquired from Levin Handy's daughters in 1954. The white spotting is likely from deposits of mercury, affecting both the plate and, consequently, the photograph produced from it.

Mathew B. Brady (c. 1822-1896) was an American photographer, and one of the earliest in American history. Best known for his scenes of the Civil War, he studied under inventor Samuel F. B. Morse, who pioneered the daguerreotype technique in America. Brady opened his own studio in New York in 1844 and photographed Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and Abraham Lincoln, among other public figures. Levin Corbin Handy (1855-1932) was Brady's nephew-in-law and former apprentice. When Brady died in 1896, Handy inherited all of the photographic files and negatives that Brady had not sold to Congress. In 1954, the Library of Congress acquired some 10,000 original, duplicate, and copy negatives from L.C. Handy Studios.

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) significantly influenced American literature. His imaginative, macabre, and poignant poems, essays, and short stories, like masterpieces “The Raven” (1845) and “Annabel Lee” (1849), intrigued and repulsed contemporaries by turns. Poe’s work, as well as his mysterious death at age 40 in a Baltimore street, have proved a well-spring to American and European writers, composers, and artists. Poe embraced the new medium of photography, sitting for at least eight portraits in the last years of his life. The most celebrated portrait of Poe remains the so-called “Ultima Thule” portrait taken by Edwin Hartwell Manchester (1820-1904) of Masury & Hartshorn Studio in Providence, Rhode Island in 1848, just a few days after Poe’s aborted suicide attempt. Mathew Brady reproduced the Manchester portrait of Poe, but included a few notable differences in clothing, hair, and gaze.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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May 26, 2021 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

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Bid Increments
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$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000