On October 25, the sales room Freeman’s | Hindman of Cincinnati features what is considered the first American photograph of an interracial couple posed romantically. The auction house describes:
The anonymous daguerreotype on plate, circa 1850-1855, depicting a white woman and an African-American or mixed-race man in a loving pose, his arm wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her closer as they hold hands.
As of this writing, we have been unable to locate another daguerreotype depicting a black man and white woman in an overtly romantic exhibit. Was the portrait a political statement, a token of love, or both? And why this small plate size when the standard at the time was the sixth plate, an image twice as large? Who took the image?
Imagery is one of the highlights of the sale of historic American ephemera and vintage photographs at Freeman’s | Hindman in Cincinnati on Oct. 25 and has an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000.
American Historical Ephemera and Early Photography
https://hindmanauctions.com/departments/american-historical-ephemera-and-early-photography
