Cowan's is a recognized leader in the sale of 19th and early 20th century photographs. Important historic photographs are sold in a number of our sales, including American Indian Arts, The Civil War, Western Americana, and our semi-annual Historical Americana auctions.
Department News
8/16/2010
Are treasures hiding among the dust in your attic or garage? Have you always wondered about your family heirlooms and collectibles? Bring them to the experts to see if they are as priceless as you hope. Wes Cowan, founder and owner of Cowan’s Auctions, Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio, will be the ...
5/11/2010
Cowan's appraisers have traveled quite a bit this year, giving appraisal fairs at several institutions including the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis and Worthington Libraries in Columbus. This past Saturday, our very own Diane Wachs was interviewed by WKYC in Cleveland, just before ...
2/26/2010
Cowan's knows that you have been waiting patiently throughout the last 13 days, like the wonderfully posed young lady pictured in the sixth plate daguerreotype ...
12/18/2009
Cowan’s, an international leader in auctions of historical Americana and early photography, held a successful American History auction on December 9, 2009. Auction proceeds totaled $665,000, with 508 bidders from 6 countries vying for 400 lots. Additionally, December’s ...
11/23/2009
A one-of-a-kind album of 97 carte de visite photographs featuring 25 rare images of Lincoln’s funeral procession will be offered in Cowan’s December 9, 2009 American History Auction. Never ...
11/23/2009
Wes Cowan and Katie Landrigan attended the 2009 Daguerreian Society Symposium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 12-15, 2009.
Highlights of the weekend included lectures, the Chester County Historical Society's exhibit, The Daguerreotype: Portraiture at the Dawn of Photography, ...
10/15/2009
Wes Cowan and our Fine Art, Decorative Art, and Antique Firearms specialists are traveling to Akron, Ohio, this weekend to appraise items at the Akron Art Museum Appraisal Affair.
The fair will be held ...
Featured Items
WHOLE PLATE DAGUERREOTYPE OF LEWIS CASS
Auction: 2010, American History, Including the Civil War, June 11
Sold for $29,375.00
Wes Cowan - Director (513.871.1670 x 46 or historic @ cowans.com)
Cowan's Auctions, Inc. founder, president, television personality, newspaper columnist and fearless leader, Wes is a virtual encyclopedia of American history and antiques. He holds BA and MA degrees in anthropology from the University of Kentucky and a PhD in anthropology from the University of Michigan.
Auction Estimate Request Form
If you would like to consign your items to an upcoming Auction, please fill out the form below to begin the consignment process.
Click here to access our Auction Estimate Request Form. Complete the form and mail or fax it to us, including all details. Send clear photographs either by snail-mail or digital email.
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Robert Vance Whole Plate Daguerreotype of San Francisco
Sold for $143,750
Panoramic Daguerreotype of San Francisco Harbor
Sold for $40,250
Important Long-Lost Quarter Plate Daguerreotype of John Brown
Sold for $97,750
Quarter Plate Daguerreotype of Metal Workers
Sold for $13,800
Fine Megalethoscope and Rare Cabinet Containing Views
Sold for $10,350
A Pioneering Daguerreotype of Philadelphia by William G. Mason
Sold for $18,400
Autographed CDV of Champ Ferguson
Sold for $2,937
Abbrotype of an Abraham Lincoln Wide Awake Marcher
Sold for $8,812
Gardner Photograph of Lincoln at Antietam, Oct 4, 1862
Sold for $3,290