Sotheby’s is presenting for sale a recently surfaced 1846 daguerreotype of Dolley Madison, taken by the photographer John Plumbe Jr.
The New York Times explains :
Sometime around May 1846, Dolley Madison made her way from her home near the White House to the studio of an enterprising photographer who had begun a quixotic effort to create a daily publication featuring portraits of “interesting public characters.”
The nearly 80-year-old former first lady and reigning grande dame of the capital sat for a portrait draped in a crocheted shawl, her curls peeking out from under her signature turban. But the photographer’s enterprise soon went bust, and the images captured that day disappeared into the slipstream of history.
Now, one of the daguerreotypes made that day is set to be auctioned by Sotheby’s, which is billing it as the earliest known photograph of a first lady.
The daguerreotype, which opens for online bidding on June 12, carries an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. Emily Bierman, the global head of the auction house’s photography department, calls it “the most important and exciting photographic portrait to come to market since John Quincy Adams.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/11/arts/design/dolley-madison-photograph-auction.html
Sotheby’s
John Plumbe, Jr.
Madison, Dolley—Plumbe, Jr., John | Quarter-plate daguerreotype
Lot closes June 26, 02:59 PM EDT
Estimate 50,000 – 70,000 USD
Current Bid 45,000 USD
