Quarter Plate

SMELLED SALT AIR. Can there be any question about the occupation of the extraordinary gent who was posed for his quarter plate, which is over matted into a larger size? I firmly believe that he was the captain of a sailing vessel. Because the illumination was directly reflected sunlight from the right side and the camera’s lens was superbly ground, we are allowed to see such magnificent details in his craggy face that it is almost possibly to FEEL his weather beaten complexion. The squareness of his sturdy face and those crystalline blue eyes, thoughtfully watching a point in space, force us to inspect him closely. Oh, to have been alive in 1845, and to have witnessed the making of this exemplary portrait! There are mat abrasions all around him and an odd area on the lower left where the chemistry might have gone awry. Please see beyond these inconveniences and realize the strength of character in the sitter. The nearly mint leather case has the most popular geometric theme (in 1845) on the cover and the reverse is plain. The deep burgundy velvet pad has an elegant imprint.