An extraordinary 1840s full-plate daguerreotype depicting four men in uniform sold for an impressive $106,200 (including premium), more than twenty times its conservative $5,000-$7,000 estimate, providing the climax of Eldred’s two-day annual fall sale of Americana, Decorative Arts and Paintings, held Nov. 16-17, 2012.

 Most of the pre-sale buzz centered on the daguerreotype, which is believed to depict Freeman Cobb, known for establishing stagecoach lines in Australia and South Africa. The piece was discovered in the Freeman Cobb homestead in Brewster, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, just a few miles from the auction house.

Daguerreotypes, an image made onto a silvered copper plate, were invented in France in 1839 by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, a Parisian diorama painter. They became much more popular in America than in Europe, peaking in the mid-1850s before falling in favor to paper photographs in the 1860s. Allure for the medium comes from the mirror-like surface, which requires viewers to tilt the piece back and forth to see the image, adding an air of mystery and intimacy. The Freeman Cobb daguerreotype, a rare full-size plate, certainly had that appeal, and a full bank of phone bidders and a number of Internet bidders pushed the bidding along at a rapid pace.        

Highlights were achieved in all areas of the sale, which included American and European paintings, furniture and decorative arts. Of particular note, a first-rate collection of fresh-to-market A. Elmer Crowell decorative bird carvings and decoys sold for a combined total exceeding $112,000. The first lot of the group, a Life-Size Decorative Greater Yellow Legs, brought down the hammer at $14,000 ($16,520), but was topped only moments later when a Life-Size Curlew sold for $30,000 ($35,400). A Life-Size Jack Snipe also saw spirited competition between Internet, phone and a packed house of bidders, eventually selling for $20,000 ($23,600).     

On the heels of a record-setting sale of a Blanche Lazzell white-line woodcut in the company’s August 2012 Americana auction, Eldred’s was thrilled to include another print by the artist in this sale. Lazzell’s “Four Boats” brought a respectable $42,480. Works by Lazzell’s fellow Provincetown artists also did well, including $10,620 for Ross E. Moffett’s “Overhauling Fishing Gear” and $11,210 for a rare double-sided carved woodblock by Ada Gilmore Chaffee.

Other standout painting lots included “A Conversation” by Detroit-area artist Myron G. Barlow, which sold for $9,440, and “The ‘Wild Pigeon’ Off Hong Kong”, attributed to 19th Century Chinese artist Hin Qua, fetched $7,670. An Anthony Thieme dock scene brought $7,670, the proceeds of which will be donated to the Message from Marli Foundation, a non-profit that raises awareness of ovarian cancer and advocates for early detection of the disease. 

 Gustave Dore’s bronze “Saute-Mouton” (Leap Frog) saw a competitive battle between phone bidders, sailing past the $2,000-$3,000 estimate to a final sale price of $17,700. Later on in the sale vigorous bidding drove the price of a Curtis & Dunning Girandole Clock to $7,670, well beyond its $2,500-$3,500 estimate.    

Eldred’s, over the past few years, has made it a tradition to open sales with lots of silver. The seemingly ever-increasing market demand for sterling has historically provided the company a good kick-start to an auction, with the flurry of bids enlivening the audience. This sale was no exception, with nearly all 77 lots selling within or above estimates. Top prices went to a Gorham cased flatware set, which sold for $8,850, and a tea urn by Gorham for M.W. Galt Bros. for $7,080.

 Interesting lots of Americana that exceeded estimates included a Thirty-Eight Star U.S. Parade Flag commemorating the centennial, which sold for $9,440, and a lot of Tobacco Cards, which brought nearly twenty times the estimate for a sale price of $11,210. Photographs of American icons, including a signed photo of “Babe” Ruth taking a practice swing and a Philippe Halsman poster of Marilyn Monroe on the cover of Life Magazine sold for and $3,835 and $2,006 respectively. The maritime arts section of the sale was punctuated by the sale of a period small carved wooden figurehead, which brought for $3,304 on a $1,000-$1,500 estimate, and two Nantucket baskets, which both brought more than $2,500, significantly higher than pre-auction estimates. Lots of pottery and porcelain did well overall, with highpoints coming from a Faience set by Lunneville and a Spanish Majolica Bowl, both selling for more than $2,100, and a Delft Garniture Set, which brought $3,835.  

Eldred’s next auction is the Fall Asian Art sale, scheduled for November 29-30, which will include more than 1200 lots. 

Illustrated catalogs and online bidding are available at www.eldreds.com and www.artfact.com. Eldred’s is located at 1483 Route 6A, in East Dennis. For more information about this or any upcoming auctions, please call (508) 385-3116 or visit www.eldreds.com.