Quarter Plate

THEIR QUARTER PLATE! What a huge success don?t you think? Two attractive women dynamically posed so that their relationship with each other would be fully revealed to anyone who opened a very worn leather case that has a detached spine. The lass on the left must have spent hours arranging her long locks into those coiled falls. Her companion decided to wear her hair pulled back and tightly knotted. Woman one?s broad lips were on the verge of a soft smile while her delightfully dark eyes danced in the brilliance of the reflected studio light. Her diagonally striped dress was superbly sewn and must have been a rainbow of colors. While her partner?s clothing was more subdued, the pretty gal wore it ever so well. Both subjects peered away from the lens. This daguerreotype that has been archivally restored was taken circa 1846. The space around the women, especially on the right, was certainly a radical composition for the period. There was boundless energy and a pleasant familiarity exhibited by both ladies that are still stunningly fresh today. The range in the mid-tones was fantastic! There is graininess on the surface and some odd black marks (on the woman?s face on the right and in the cloth drop in a couple places). Each sitter wore a wonderful brooch and that small sprig of flowers was a dear sentimental accouterment. The tarnish created that odd bubble. The teeny spots aren?t problematic.