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| D11-115. "AND THERE'S MORE . . . Where this came from gents!" While it might be impossible to ever know exactly what the contents in the cigar smoking entrepreneur's hand was when he prominently displayed it to the three fellows surrounding him, I would suggest that he was talking up a gold strike in the rolling California hills and those shapes in his palm were actually gold nuggets! Let me say that I have no actual proofs that this remarkable HALF PLATE daguerreotype was taken in a gold rush town. The location was definitely rural and the construction of that narrow boardwalk quite recent in regards to the timing of this outstanding artistic tableau, executed circa 1852 +-. I love the misplaced wooden portion. I will mention that the plate itself was not silvered a second time using a galvanic battery. The operator aggressively buffed the surface in both directions, creating a dilemma when attempting to make a good scan. Normally, the optimum way is to have the light pass under the image in the same direction as the polishing marks. (I just gave you a key component of copying dags)! All four sides are flat and the corners are barely clipped at small angles. When the scene is examined at the best angle of view in strong light the men and that wonderful dark dog all leap out of the oval frame, which isn't hiding any signage or significant additional details. I keep attempting to remember where I had seen this similar arrangement. Maybe in a painting or a drawing reproduced in a period newspaper or magazine. The conception for the men's pose was extraordinary. Completely structured yet frozen in a moment of time (maybe a three to five second exposure) since they were standing outdoors in direct bright sunshine. So unbelievably casual! And all focused on the central figure who casts such a confident and dapper appearance towards us even about 160 years after the fact. The two guys flanking him were totally entranced with his presentation. The lengthy chap leaning against the crude doorframe had more of a "by golly that's rich" attitude. You might wonder why the clapboards are blue. At times, bright white objects tend to solarize (turn bluish) when they are overexposed. Obviously the dag maker knew to estimate the amount of seconds to correctly render the men in the best tones possible. As you can all see in my reproduction there are several old scratches on either side of the foursome and a larger one near the window. Several brown tarnish dots along with oxidation inside the mat opening are visible. After new glass and an archival seal were made the dag was placed back in the bottom of the leather case that was part of the package when Erin purchased it. I have included a second scan to show the design, which was used usually with a cover that had flowers or a large vase throughout the 1850s. $6,500 |
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