  Based on recent experimental data obtained by the CLAS Collaboration, the
$\Sigma(1385)$ photoproduction off a neutron target at laboratory photon
energies $E_\gamma$ up to 2.5\,GeV is investigated in an effective Lagrangian
approach including $s$-, $u$-, and $t$-channel Born-term contributions. The
present calculation does not take into account any explicit $s$-channel
baryon-resonance contributions, however, in the spirit of duality, we include
$t$-channel exchanges of mesonic Regge trajectories. The onset of the Regge
regime is controlled by smoothly interpolating between Feynman-type
single-meson exchanges and full-fledged Regge-trajectory exchanges. Gauge
invariance broken by the Regge treatment is fully restored by introducing
contact-type interaction currents that result from the implementation of
\textit{local} gauge invariance in terms of generalized Ward-Takahashi
identities. The cross sections for the $\gamma n\to K^+\Sigma^*(1385)^-$
reaction are calculated and compared with experimental results from the CLAS
and LEPS collaborations. Despite its simplicity, the present theoretical
approach provides a good description of the main features of the data. However,
the parameters fitted to the data show that the gauge-invariance-restoring
contact term plays a large role which may point to large contributions from
final-state interactions.
