Amazing Quarter Plate Pair of Hand Tinted Daguerreotypes

PERKY ANGEL IN BLUE. Times Two! Sure, and you must be asking yourselves like I am, what inducement of rewards were promised to the cunning little gal before she entered the operating room at Jeremiah Gurney’s 349 Broadway gallery? When he or one of his operators had a daguerreian alignment of the sun, moon and stars, these magnificent retaped quarter plates would have been the reward. One hundred sixty years later and except for the bold patina, the child appears to us as she did on that magical day. I would wager that her parents were absolutely delighted with the results. Could a less than two year old be any lovelier? Her pudgy face was framed by spiraling locks of hair. A childish smile touched her red tinted lips while those bright blue eyes peered beyond the camera at an adult who had successfully gained her attention. Curiously, the tarnish has turned the kid into a partial redhead when in fact I believe she was a blonde. Blue pigments were professionally applied to her party dress while lifelike tint adds to the realism of her countenance. Gurney favored push button cases. This example has a small piece of missing leather in the upper right corner on the front, an old leather hinge repair and a bold green pad inside. Rarely do I offer such a remarkable pair of portraits that have all the elements of perfection: Superb condition, technical excellence, artistic daring (would you stand a kid her age on a chair today) and a cherubic model! Most of the caption was written for D09-48 immediately after I purchased the child in 2009. Slightly less than one year later, I bought the second masterwork. This leather case has a new professionally applied spine.