John Plumbe Jr. (1809-1857) and his circle, American.
 
Sixth-plate daguerreotype of a young woman staring intently at the camera holding a book or cased image. Housed in a leather case with an octagonal mat stamped "Plumbe" (1809-1857).
 
An early practitioner, by 1847 Plumbe had opened string of "franchises" for his business in several dozen American cities. As is usual for these early images, the city in which this image was made is not known.
 
Ex Arnold Crane Collection.