A rare and significant half-plate daguerreotype of Samuel H Walker (1817-1847) is to go on sale on September 21 with an estimate of $75,000 at Heritage Auctions.
It will form part of the 343-lot John N Mcwilliams Texas Ranger collection.
The collection documents the birth of the Wild West, bringing together documents, photographs and manuscripts pertaining to legendary figures in the history of Texas.
 Samuel H Walker was co-inventor of the Colt-Walker pistol |
Samuel H Walker was a captain in the Texas Rangers, and led the defence against the Mexican invasion. He is perhaps best known as the co-inventor of the famous .44-caliber six shot Colt-Walker revolver, first produced in 1847, along with gunsmith Samuel Colt.
Only 1,100 pistols of the original run were ever produced, making the originals extremely rare and highly desirable - in 2008 an original Colt-Walker sold for $920,000 at James D. Julia.
Walker was killed the same year the Colt-Walker went into production - allegedly struck down by a shotgun shell in the Battle of Huamantla during the Mexican-American war.
The photograph is in good condition and was taken just months before his death. It shows Walker wearing his US Mountain Rifles captain uniform.
The auction also includes a journal detailing an eyewitness account of Walker's death, complete with watercolour illustrations, estimated at $25,000. A similar daguerreotype of John S. Rip Ford (1815-1897), another well known Ranger, is also on sale with a high estimate of $125,000.
We have this unique selection of wallpaper fragments from the bedroom of Abraham Lincoln for sale at just £3,500 (approx. $5,454). You can also view our collection of militaria here.
