expensive words

Sir John Franklin c1845 courtesy of Sotheby’s

Toronto. The old chestnut says a picture is worth a 1000 words. If so, the 14,000 words for these 14 daguerreotypes are worth nearly $39 USD each! Many Canadians remember the stories of Franklin and his two ill-fated vessels, the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror which became locked in our ice while searching for the NorthWest Passage. The ship wrecks were discovered nearly a decade ago in this century.

Long unseen, the set of 14 portraits were auctioned off recently by Sotheby’s and realized about $545,580 USD on September 21, 2023. The daguerreotypes were taken on board the HMS Erebus in 1845 just days before it set sail on its last voyage. The portraits were taken using technology less than seven years old. Needless to say, they were the last portraits taken of the senior crew of the two vessels and the officers of the HMS Erebus.

My thanks to PHSC President, Clint Hryhorijiw, for alerting me to this sale.  You can read about the set and the last voyage of Franklin and his crew here on ArtNet News. Remember, it is the subject as well as age, photographer, and condition that determines a daguerreotype’s value. Expensive words, indeed!

This entry was posted in camera, history and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.