Antique 1860 Oil Tinted Male Portrait - Bergin Happy 1811-1865

This is a truly exceptional antique piece of Americana: an oil-tinted photograph portrait of Bergin Happy (1811–1865), estimated to have been taken around 1860. The portrait captures a distinguished gentleman with a resolute expression, formally dressed in a dark suit, waistcoat, and a prominent black satin cravat or bow tie, reflecting the style of the late antebellum and Civil War era. The image itself is a remarkable example of mid-19th century photographic hand-coloring, where a photograph was carefully painted over with oil pigments to achieve the appearance of a traditional oil painting. The portrait is housed in its original, ornate gilded oval frame featuring classic floral and scrollwork designs appropriate for the period.

Invaluable Handwritten Provenance
What elevates this portrait to a significant historical artifact is the remarkably detailed handwritten family history and provenance affixed to the reverse side. This document confirms the subject as Bergin Happy, detailing his life as a trained blacksmith, and successful farmer and his two marriages to Mary Williams and Emeline Morrow. The note provides extensive genealogical information, including the names of his parents, siblings, and children. This portrait is a rare and unique find for antique collectors, historians, and genealogy enthusiasts, offering not only a striking visual artifact but also a literal, primary-source document detailing a family's history across the 19th-century American frontier.

Disclosures: This oil tinted photograph is 165 years old and has been well cared for during its time. Multiple scratches and small knicks can be found across the photos surface. The frame is in beautiful condition overall with minor chipping. The detailed provenance is recorded on the back of the photo itself. A secondary copy of the provenance was captured on backing paper that was well worn and falling off the back of the frame. In order to preserve both records, the secondary record was mounted to new backing paper and affixed using double sided tape (covering the original provenance recorded on the back of the photo). If you prefer, the backing paper (with the secondary record) is readily removable if you prefer to expose the original provenance.

Measurements (approximate - rounded to the nearest quarter inch):
23.75 inches in height
20.25 inches wide
2.25 inches in depth

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VINTAGE & ANTIQUE
Vintage and antique items are pre-owned and aged goods. In most cases, we do not clean or polish any items that come into our shop. Once you remove an item's traces of age and patina it's not something you can reverse, so we leave those activities up to the buyer. We try our best to describe items accurately and disclose any and all flaws and imperfections. Please refer to pictures as a visual description. We want to make sure you are happy with your purchase so, please do not hesitate to ask any questions you may have prior to checkout.

SHIPPING
As much as possible, we utilize recycled shipping boxes. The box you receive your item in may show signs of wear and pre-use.

PHOTOGRAPHY
All photos are taken in natural light and we do not use any photo filters and do not perform and photo editing (other than basic photo cropping). Depending on your monitor settings, there may be subtle differences in color once you see your item in person.