Posted By:
Mike P.Hi Mike,
Thanks for your interest in my eBay auction # 6151436872 - circa 1855 BASEBALL PLAYER Daguerreotype Photo.
I've been dealing in 19th century photography since 1970 and my particular passion is baseball-related images. I have sold to many dealers, collectors, and museums throughout the U.S. and in other countries. As my eBay description stated: There are only three known baseball-related daguerreotypes. The other two images are I.D.ed players but neither display a ball or bat. One reason for this is that to have a daguerrotype taken in the early years of photography was an expensive and serious matter. The exposure time (the time the poser must sit perfectly still to prevent blurring of the finished image) could take up to five minutes, so most photographers preferred that their patrons not hold anything that could possibly cause them to move, and in doing so ruin finished product.
Many of the 19th century baseball players have remained unidentifed through the years and to this date many are still nameless. It was not the practice in the 19th century to make annotations on the back of a photo as to who the person was. So you see not having a ball or bat in hand, or not being I.d.ed is not really criteria for determining if an image is baseball related. As I stated earlier, I've been selling 19th century photographs full time since 1970 and have seen MANY different style baseball uniforms on players from the 1850's and 1860's. I have a huge reference library to draw on for study and the uniform worn in the daguerreotype I offer on eBay has many of the nuances which match other images of early baseball uniforms. The type of fabric, style, fit, trimming used, color, etc. all ring true. In my professional opinion, there is no doubt that this is baseball player. However in a subject so rare that even the Baseball Hall-Of-Fame has no examples in their vast collection, it is impossible to state with absolute and unequivocal certainty that it is a baseball uniform. I can also add that it is NOT a fireman or policeman of the day..................they did wear similar type uniforms but ALL had numbers or other identifying lettering on the chest area. I have a spotless reputation in the antique photography community and would not publicly deem this a baseball player if I had any doubts.
I hope my insight and the information I provided helps you make an informed decision. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks again for your inquiry.
Best Wishes,
Dan