Earliest Known Photograph and Only Known Daguerreotype of Judah P. Benjamin

Description:

Earliest Known Photograph and Only Known Daguerreotype of Judah P. Benjamin, Probably Louisana, late 1840s, cased sixth-plate daguerreotype, gilt tooled and embossed faux-leather case.

Note: Widely viewed as the ³brains of the Confederacy,² and an often controversial figure in American Jewish history, Judah Philip Benjamin (1811-1884) achieved high-ranking positions throughout his varied career, particularly in his roles for the Confederate States. Benjamin was born in the West Indies, soon emigrating with his parents to the Carolinas where his father was a founder of the first Jewish reform congregation in America. At the age of 14 Benjamin attended Yale Law School, later practicing law in the newly established state of Louisiana. At the time this image was taken, Benjamin was a state legislator, a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, and successful plantation owner. Later he would become U.S. Senator from Louisiana‹only the second Jew to hold this office‹and the first Jewish nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court (though he declined the position). He became the first Jewish cabinet member in a North American government when he was appointed Attorney General by Jefferson Davis, then Secretary of War, then later Secretary of State for the Confederacy. In defeat, Benjamin fled the US for Britain where he was a distinguished barrister and First American Jew to become Queen¹s Counsel.
Estimate $25,000-35,000

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