Ninth Plate

CASUAL! The very attractive young lady was placed inside a pristine plain blue ninth plate size plush velvet oval case with an unmarked white silk liner to her left. The vignetted patron was expertly captured on a brilliantly prepared re-silvered plane by an unknown daguerreotypist. Was it an accident that her portrait was positioned off-center or was her maker experimenting with location and space in this remarkable keepsake? I was astounded when I opened the case; the woman’s smile and sparkling dark eyes, turned towards a point away from the lens that recorded every detail in her friendly face and costume, framed by that softness across the bottom against a perfect studio sky. The unsealed jewel has exceptional condition, superb contrast and fine depth. There is a hazy patina on the right side of the lady.