A handcoloured half-plate ambrotype of an Australian rural scene, featuring several crude bush dwellings with animal pens in the background and two men standing in the foreground, surrounded by archetypal eucalyptus-dominated scrub
Plate size 105 × 140 mm, mounted as issued behind an ornate oval gilt metal matt (visible image size 90 × 120 mm), in a velvet-lined leather-covered case.
Case slightly worn, with the joint broken; the image itself is in excellent condition.
The photographer, subjects, location and date are unknown, but the ambrotype came and went in the period 1855-1865. Large-format Australian outdoor ambrotypes are scarce; ones of this quality are rare. The ambrotype is a thin collodion negative on glass with a black backing of paper, cloth or paint (as in this instance), which makes it look like a positive image. The packaging as above is standard.
Item #144085
Price (AUD):
$25,000.00