1840s-1860s Hand Tinted Post-Mortem Daguerreotype 1904 worlds fair Cat has very minimal paint

Cat has very minimal paint loss

had more sculptural features such as individualized toes

Measurements: 1" x 5/8"

There are some chips in the paint most noticeably around the snout and the stomach screw as well as on the tail

ladies bedazzled their coiffures and their attire with these treasured bugs

1840s-1860s Hand Tinted Post-Mortem Daguerreotype 1904 worlds fair Cat has very minimal paintInvented in 1839 by Louis Daguerre, daguerreotypes were the favorite form of printed portraits throughout the 1840s and 1850s. Daguerreotypes are silver plated copper, almost mirror like plates, that are painted with light sensitive chemicals. After an image is exposed on a plate it is treated with mercury to reveal the image. It is then fixed to remove its light sensitivity and often sealed behind glass in a union frame or brooch to protect it.