Circa 1845 daguerreotype of William Thompson Bartley (1813-1885), his wife Hannah (Downing) Bartley (1810-1874) and their children Nora (b.1838), John (b.1840) and George (b.1839). William was a successful merchant in Louisville doing business as "W.T. Bartley & Co.". Genealogical Info: William was born in Ireland, Hannah in Scotland.. they married in Kentucky in 1835 and had four children - a second girl named Hannah was born in 1847, a couple of years after this photo was taken. I was unable to find a record of George in the 1850 census or any time after that, so I think it's likely he died sometime between the time this dag was made and 1850.
Most of the family is buried in Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.
Closed, this dag case measures 4.75" tall by 4.25" wide. The dag is not marked by Plumbe but is housed in his basket of flowers case. Plumbe's "Louisville Gallery" was on Jefferson Street at this time.. I'm almost certain that is where this portrait was taken. Plate has tarnish ring and is no longer sealed, but most or all of the old seals are still in the case. I put two pieces of archival tape on the sides to keep the plate from sliding. Overall the image is in very good antique condition.. I can see a couple of light mat abrasions, mostly inside of the tarnish ring along the right side, a pinprick or two of green corrosion, and some tiny mold spiders. There is some very light, small scratching on a couple of the people.. so small and light that I think they possibly could have been left by the colorist's brush, but assume they are post-1845 scratches. The spine of the case has been repaired with leather and it's missing one clasp. The inside corners on the image side are slightly separating but are stable and repairable. If you have any questions, please ask before committing to purchase.
Boxed & insured Priority Mail. Optional Express available.
Boxed & insured Priority Mail. Optional Express available.