BRIGHT EYES SMILE CONCEALED WEAPON? J P BALL BLACK DAG

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We offer 21 early photography items in the auction format every week. In addition, we list several BUY IT NOW features. DESCRIPTION. Here’s a man with especially bright eyes and a wry smile. Those familiar with 19th century accoutrements might know what that the leather straps signify. Is he hiding a weapon of some sort? Wouldn’t it be customary to remove it before posing?At lower left corner of brass mat: "J.P. BALL. CINCINNATI."SIZE. Sixth plate. HOUSING. Half of a thermoplastic case (often erroneously called ‘gutta percha’.) PROVENANCE. Purchased from Ken Appollo, author of ‘Humble Work and Mad Wanderings’ in 1997. CONDITION. Old seals previously removed and intact inside case. No seals at present. Residue spots over the plate. Perhaps small corrosion spots near bottom. Very, very light wipe right side. Mat abrasions lower right. APPEARANCE. As with most of Ball’s work, exceptional contrast. Lots of intrigue to this one. Condition problems are apparent. JAMES PRESLEY BALL (1825 - 1904). "As a young man he learned daguerreotyping and opened his first studio in Cincinnati at age twenty. The city was a center for anti-slavery activity as well as the photographic arts, and Ball became a leader in both. He wrote and published a pamphlet depicting the horrors of slavery to accompany a large panorama in his gallery, and served as the read more

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