“There are examples from over fifty known and identified photographers that read like a who’s who of the daguerrean world: Morse, Cornelius, Plumbe, Fitz, Grice, Vance, Brady and Garrett in America, to name a few, and Leygonier, Eynard, Ruskin, Durand, Beard, Colnaghi, and Stapfer across Europe. Given the sources they sought out—let there be no mistake, they were among the best sleuths—the Maillet Collection is also an artifact of the history of the daguerreotype itself.”
Romer also mentions the importance of the Strober Collection: “The sale of the Sidney Strober Collection of 19th century photographs (1970) is now generally recognized as the beginning of a significant art market for rare and fine examples of 19th century photographs, particularly daguerreotypes. For instance, a very high quality, whole-plate daguerreotype in excellent condition, by Robert Vance, of the Excelsior Building in San Francisco, sold for $560. That Strober had bought it for $3.50 was reported in The New York Times in an article on the astonishing results of the sale.
“There are near equivalent daguerreotypes in the Maillet Collection. And as a sidenote, it was Josephine Cobb herself who contributed the opening essay to the Strober sale catalogue; the Maillets sought out Miss Cobb and purchased her entire collection of daguerreotypes in the 1980s, most of which are in this collection sale.
“The material legacy of First Photography, in the form of the daguerreotype, has been
under-valued, the development of the market for the works under-studied, and
lamentably under-recorded. While under-studied, it is very much a meaningful part of
the history of the field. Since it is widely acknowledged that the Strober Collection
auction was historically significant in many ways, now fifty years in the past, would there
not have been an academic study done of it? If there is, I could not find it.
“Although the miraculous nature of the daguerreotype has been obscured and is no
longer commonly and vividly felt, it can be easily brought back to experience by clearing
one’s mind of what they think they know of the history of photography, as it has come to
be written, which has generally characterized the daguerreotype process as highly
limited, complex, cumbersome and rapidly made obsolete by superior methods. Those
are mistakes of judgment by those without practical experience with the process and in
some cases deliberate mischaracterizations made by biased advocates of others’ claim to priority of invention.
“It has become apparent that the seeming abundance of daguerreotypes emerging from
the primary matrix and entering the collecting market has dwindled. A small number of
fine collections of daguerreotypes have been acquired by institutions, further limiting
the ability to assemble a collection like that made by the Maillets. Significant changes in the nature of photography have since occurred, not the least of which is the closure of the era of silver-halide based photographic technology, begun by the daguerreotype. Chemical imaging is no longer the commonly practiced method of photography.
“The primary photographic record is no longer material. It is digital. The wondrous
miracle of an insubstantial visual experience made into a material artifact, is no longer
commonly worked in silver, much less silver, mercury and gold. Knowledge of what
photography was and how it was experienced is rapidly being forgotten. No doubt, there
will be other profound changes in imaging technology that will influence the valuation
of the legacy of material photographs.”
Coverage of the event in the Collector’s Daily noted “64.57% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range and there were a total of 73 positive surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate). Of those, 31 had proceeds above $10,000.”
HENI News also carried a detailed report that featured a number of graphs showing the strength and distribution of the bidding.
While the Maillet sale was distinctly a high point in works of early photography, it was not alone; the recent May 14th Sale at Herritage, titled Depth of Field and featuring many examples of early photography also produced strong results.
The Real Nitty Gritty
It’s a little complicated to show the results of these two sales. To see the RBH records (which have considerable annotation on each individual item) you must have a subscription and log into the RBH site. For an alternative way of viewing click the link provided by Christie’s and Heritage following the RBH links. Not as extensive as our RBH notes but better photos.
Christies, NY - The Maillet Daguerreotype Collection
RBH Maillet link to entire sale June 26, 2025
RBH Maillet Link to top 25 lots in the sale
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Christies results of the Maillet sale. Shows all the photos and prices realized.
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Heritage, Dallas, Depth of Field -19th Century Photography Sale, May 14, 2025
Strong sales but not as pricey as Maillet
RBH Depth of Field Link to results all lots
RBH link to top 25 sales, Depth of Field
Heritage results for May 14th Depth of Field sale, shows images but viewer must sign in with Heritage to see prices realized.
