A rare quarter-plate ambrotype of a young Forty-Niner, copied ca. 1855–58 from an original daguerreotype of about 1849–50, likely taken at a “jumping-off” point in St. Louis prior to an overland crossing, or on the East Coast before embarking on a clipper ship to California. The sitter, wearing a fur cap and double-breasted coat, poses defiantly with a long percussion rifle across his lap and a D-handled shovel—both quintessential tools of the emigrant miner. A powder flask is visible at his side, with additional accoutrements at his waist. This pairing of rifle and shovel conveyed both the hardships and hopes of the Gold Rush: the tools of survival and the tools of fortune. The image is housed in its original case with velvet pad stamped Ford’s Daguerrean Gallery, Clay Street, San Francisco and Sacramento City, the imprint of Robert H. Vance’s successor, Charles L. Ford. Ford operated one of the earliest and most prominent daguerrean and ambrotype galleries in Gold Rush California, active through the 1850s. His studios in San Francisco and Sacramento attracted miners, emigrants, and pioneers seeking to commemorate their journeys west. A related quarter-plate daguerreotype of the same sitter, posed with alternate gear, was offered as part of Stephen R. Anaya’s celebrated Gold Rush Collection at Sotheby’s in 2000, where it realized $75,500 against an estimate of $8,000–12,000. Sight: 2 3/4 x 2 1/4 in. Provenance: Al and Carol Cali Collection. Pickup & Shipping: Free Sacramento pickup. Shipping via FedEx 2Day within the continental U.S. for $85 plus 1.5% insurance. Combined lot shipping available. Ambrotype with some surface spotting, light oxidation around mat edges, and wear to case commensurate with age; overall image remains sharp and striking.