Ninth Plate

SURE HE WAS AN ARTISAN! But his cap style and those overalls worn under his heavy jacket just aren’t enough to provide an inkling of his occupation. And it is true, that I usually shy away from retaped ninth plate daguerreotypes. However, this youthful teenager was very compelling somehow. I doubt if he was mature enough to have shaved, yet his expression seemed careworn and certainly his visible hand displayed the results of manual labor. How rapidly the kids must have aged during the daguerreian era and later on when it was necessary for them to begin working in factories or mills at age 8. I think this chap was learning a specific trade and might have faired better in adult life. He is kept in a separated leather case. Funky patina is quite visible inside the oval brass mat. There are a few mold spiders and nearly minuscule. Color was applied to his freckled cheeks and lips. That metallic device peeking above the edge of his apron might be a clue to his profession.