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Jesse James- An Incredible 1/6th Plate Ferrotype Jesse James- An Incredible 1/6th Plate Ferrotype of

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Photographic Images Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:8,000.00 - 12,000.00 USD
Jesse James- An Incredible 1/6th Plate Ferrotype Jesse James- An Incredible 1/6th Plate Ferrotype of
<B>Jesse James- An Incredible 1/6th Plate Ferrotype of the Legendary American Outlaw.</B></I> Jesse James was born in 1847 in Missouri. His father was a Baptist minister and the co-founder of William Jewell College. Reverend James headed to California during the Gold Rush to make an earthly fortune but instead received his eternal reward when he died of an illness there. Jesse's mother later remarried (twice). At age seventeen, James went to fight as a Confederate guerrilla in the Civil War, participating in bloody raids on Kansas. He was wounded while surrendering at the end of the war and would later claim that he was forced into his outlaw lifestyle because his family had been persecuted in the war. Starting in 1867 and until his death 15 years later, Jesse James, along with his brother Frank (and the Younger gang), robbed numerous banks and trains. They became, strangely enough, media heroes and were adored by many Easterners who enjoyed the fascinating tales of the Wild West that portrayed Jesse as a sort of "Robin Hood" figure (even though he kept the money he stole and killed innocent people in the process). The end of Jesse James career (and life) came in 1882 when Robert Ford, who had been recruited into the gang to help in a bank robbery, shot James in the back of the head while he was dusting a picture on the wall. Bob Dylan memorialized the act with these lines from his 1965 song, "Outlaw Blues": "Ain't gonna hang no picture, Ain't gonna hang no picture frame. Well, I might look like Robert Ford, But I feel just like a Jesse James." <BR><BR>This 1/6th plate tintype portrait of Jesse James is believed to have been taken in the 1875-76 era when he was in his late twenties. It was likely during the time when he lived in Nashville, Tennessee, hiding from the law as a Mr. Howard, either a grain buyer or horse dealer, with his wife (and 1st cousin) Zerelda. Note that his left hand is tucked away in the photo. As a teenager, James accidentally shot off the tip of the middle finger on his left hand, crying out "Dingus!" as he did it (being the good son of a Baptist minister). Dingus became the nickname his brother and many close friends used for years. After this incident, Jesse was quite self-conscious of his mangled left hand and always carefully hid it whenever having his picture taken (not only was he self-conscious, it was a physical characteristic that law-enforcement could use to identify him). Please note that, because of the nature of ferrotype photography, the photo is mirror-imaged and though it appears to be his right hand hidden, it is actually his left. Original photographs of this famous criminal and folk-hero seldom appear on the market and Heritage is proud to offer the Wild West collector a rare opportunity to own a unique and likely unpublished photograph. The condition is very fine with only some mild surface scratches- contrast and detail is good, size is 2.5" x 3.5". Included in this lot will be a binder full of very interesting research material prepared by the consignor related to Jesse James and this photo.