Quarter Plate

WILLIAMSON MAGIC! As you loyal readers all know, when asked to list my all-time favorite daguerreian operators, I have suggested that Charles Williamson and his brother Edward were preeminent in their ability to produce a dazzling dark gray tone consistently that is rarely seen on any other examples. Their professional use of an artistic palette of wide ranging hues was unsurpassed. The sensibilities and skills they used to create marvelous relationships while posing their subjects still astounds me! Look at the father holding his infant son covered by a creamy white dress. While he was cloaked in shapes of darkness creating a remarkable contrast, the holographic depth in their quarter plate dream is beyond excellence. Have you ever seen a baby so bright eyed and excited in front of a camera in the dag era? Look at his tiny hands, grasping dad’s finger. Did I mention those perfect flesh tones? I must admit, that I have attempted to alter my scan using all my Photo Shop techniques (I’m good at four of them) and simply can’t reproduce the likeness better than what is on the screen. When the intact push button leather case opens in the next owner’s hands, he or she will thank me. The condition is original and the surface nearly pristine. Such magnificence by the Brooklyn operators is rarely offered for sale.