Georges Shaw (1818-1904) Daguerreotype In A Precious Case C.1850

Daguerreotype of a man in a box imitating a book. The book's cover is finely decorated with mother-of-pearl elements, and the interior, like a Union Case, is lined with damask velvet. It is a portrait of a man leaning near a table where books are placed, indicating that he is a scholar or man of letters. George Shaw (1818-1904) was one of the pioneers of photography in Birmingham. He played a key role in the development of the daguerreotype technique in that city. Shaw notably used electroplated silver plates, a major innovation for the time, and produced some of the earliest photographs of the city, such as street scenes on New Street and portraits of Victorian families. [Link to website: https://www.lavalisearlesienne.com/product-page/pr%C3%A9cieux-coffret-d-un-daguerr%C3%A9otype-portrait-d-homme]