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| Passion Investments: Art |
Distant Mirrors
Richard John Pietschmann
11/01/2005
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These
price levels may rise if the current milestone exhibition of Southworth &
Hawes images has the influence some expect. “Young America” opened in New York
at the International Center of Photography in June. It is now at the George
Eastman House International Museum of Photography, where it will show through
January 8. Between January 28 and April 9, the exhibit will show at the Addison
Gallery of Art in Andover, Mass. Because of the interest and excitement this
show has generated, Waters says, “Prices of every daguerreotype of merit with
technical perfection, artistic excellence and really strong condition will go up
much quicker for a period of time than ever before.” The value of a daguerreotype is determined by the interplay
of its quality, content and condition. The best radiate a special quality, says
Yonkers, N.Y., dealer-collector Larry Gottheim. That spark is what motivated
collectors who started in the 1960s and 1970s, when plates sold for a few
dollars. These early collectors bought what they liked, immersed themselves in
the history and lore of daguerreotypy, and gradually became experts. “The people
who purchased very early were sophisticated and knowledgeable, they knew exactly
what they were doing, and they were willing to pay what it took to get great
pieces,” Bethel says. “They managed to keep the daguerreian market somewhat
underground for years.”
MORE INFORMATION. .
Two of the best sources of basic daguerreotype information and background are
online. The 900-member Daguerreian Society’s website (www.daguerre.org) is heavy on history, while
Dennis Waters’ site (www.finedags.com)
provides an entertainingly opinionated tutorial on daguerreotype collecting. |
They also managed to keep it largely exclusive. “The
highest prices paid for daguerreotypes for decades were paid privately,” Bethel
explains. In fact, the $1 million barrier against which the public daguerreotype
market is now pushing may be old news for top collectors who operate under the
radar. Eastman House’s Romer suggests that while there has not yet been a public
$1 million daguerreotype sale, he is certain there have been numerous private
ones. Bethel agrees.
“[Daguerreotype collecting] is a nuanced field, and
requires a special kind of passion and knowledge,” Hallmark’s Davis says. “And
the passion can’t be invented out of nothing, and the knowledge can’t be gained
overnight. Put those qualities together, and that’s what the major players—the
Matt Isenburgs of the world—today have.”
For his part, Isenburg says his days
as an active acquirer of expensive daguerreotypes may be over. “I’m a guy who
put together a major and important collection that reflects a piece of American
history. But I don’t want to spend $100,000 or $200,000 on a daguerreotype when
I bought the same thing 20 years ago for $3,000. I’ll leave that to the people
who have come in in the last five or 10 years.
“And, by the way,” he adds,
“they’re right, and I’m wrong—the best stuff is going to keep going up.”
Richard John Pietschmann, based in Los Angeles, is a regular contributor to
Worth.
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