Pair of Pals

…from Worcester, Mass or thereabouts.  This sixth plate has been resealed by the previous owner and held in a scarce leather case with a split spine. The, maker, Moses Sanford Chapin, marked M.S. Chapin on the mat, worked in the central Massachusetts city from 1849-60 at a few different addresses. I love the symmetry and contrasting dark versus light jackets of the men. They both went for the common Napoleonic hand positioning with legs crossed inward and hands resting the same.  They are each clean shaven versus bearded with longer hair, but they don’t seem related to me, rather friends or co-workers.  Maybe they were in town for a work trip, wanting to recall it fondly with a nice daguerreotype?  Chapin did deliver with this  silver plate that still shines some nearly 170 years later. As you can see, there are some mat abrasions at the edges.