The gold-toned plate is in a mat with embossed "Beard Patentee," in the original early Wharton frame, within a deep Morocco fliptop case. See the excellent article by Dr. Robert Fisher in "The Daguerreian Annual 1992" on Beard's operations in England in the 1840's, including his franchise of the Wolcott-Johnson mirror camera and other technical innovations. Beard had the technical cooperation of Wolcott, Johnson and Goddard, and employed as operators great daguerreotypists such as Jabez Hogg and T. R. Williams. Many of the early portraits were of figures connected with early photography, but I haven't identified this subject.
