[benjulmag]

Jay,

I have the greatest respect for the people at SGC and the work they do, but I am concerned that the task of determining whether an image is a period albumen photo attached to a period mount does not fall squarely within their area of expertise. Certainly there are other people out there who would be better qualified to address this question. In addition, the fact that Lelands, an experienced and well-respected auction house that over the years has handled many CdVs, would not accept the consignment of a CdV that if authentic would be as significant a 19th century image as they have ever offered is very troubling. I'm not saying the item is not authentic, but based on the disclosures made I would feel much more comfortable if the item was examined by a recognized expert in both albumen photographs and CdV mounts. I also believe that the auction house should disclose the identity of the person they said examined the item.