Very unusual early salt image of a goose. The sharpness of the salt print shows that it was printed from a glass negative, not a paper negative. The edges around the animal clearly show that the emulsion on the negative has been scratched away to darken the background in the positive print and thus make the goose stand out more.
Perhaps to use as a scientific document.

The Toulouse goose is a French breed of large domestic goose, originally from the area of Toulouse in south-western France. Two types are recognised: a heavy industrial type with dewlaps, the French: Oie de Toulouse à bavette, and a slightly lighter agricultural type without dewlaps, the French: Oie de Toulouse sans bavette. Some were brought to the United Kingdom in the 1840s by Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby, who was at that time president of the Zoological Society of London. There it was bred for considerably greater weight. The British breed standard dates from 1865 [Wikipedia].

The print is in very good condition with nice dark brown tonality.

ca. 16,9 x 12 cm