EXTREMELY RARE HALF PLATE AMBROTYPE OF A FIRE BRIGADE OF AT LEAST 33 MEN
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:484368 |
Incredibly rare half-plateambrotype of a large fire battalion gathered on the lawn of a large two storywhite house. This group is over 30 menstrong as we have counted at least 33 men with more unseen in thebackground. The Captain is quite thebadass standing front and center and we could certainly see him leading hisforce into any burning structure. TheForeman as identified on his belt rises above the group with his horn heldhigh. Two of his lead officers standju...st to the left of him holding the nozzle of the hose of the large pump whichis seen directly behind them. The olderman on the left looks to be a long time veteran of the group while we see anumber of youthful faces who are just getting their start. The men on the far left are also pulling whatappears to be an additional hose. Thereis a metal arch to the left of the foreman that has the name of thedepartment. It appears to be readConnisville to us but we are assuming this might Collinsville. Everything is completely clear but the secondand third letter in the name but we have tried multiple searches andCollinsville seems to be the best choice. While there are a number of towns with that name across the country thereis one additional clue that accompanied this ambrotype. It it’s a small red white and blue flagthemed parade ribbon with a small real nut attached. There is a label for T.F. Sherman Jeweler andBadge Maker, 175 Meadow Street, New Haven, Conn., Ribbon, Medal, &Celluloid Badges. So, we are assumingthis was Collinsville, CT. Thisextremely rare ambrotype is in very good condition with green hand tinting tothe grass and some of the tree leaves. Other than the Captain who wears black the rest of the men have a lightreddish/brown tint to their uniforms. When viewing in light it has nice tonal qualities. It is a slightly dark read without some lightpresent but is still a dramatic image even in this instance. A few larger spots as seen and there aresome tiny spots of loss seen in the foreground in the collodion that areinsignificant in our opinion. Most ofthe smaller pinprick size spots are enhanced in this scan. When viewing they aren’t really noticed untillooking at an angle in light. This waspurchased in an extremely worn frame that didn’t appear to be original to theimage so we have enclosed this now in a full case with a repaired spine. Very few if any large firemen groups everappear available on the market so don’t miss out as this might be the only oneavailable for a long time!
Buyer payspostage. If you would like insuranceplease contact us after the auction before making a payment. We will gladly combine shipping on multiplepurchases. Please note customs forms for overseas transactions will be atactual value. For up to date information about us please search for CapitolGallery.
Buyer payspostage. If you would like insuranceplease contact us after the auction before making a payment. We will gladly combine shipping on multiplepurchases. Please note customs forms for overseas transactions will be atactual value. For up to date information about us please search for CapitolGallery.
