Finely Tinted Child, Quarter Plate Dag

Casey recently restored this dreamlike daguerreotype done in quarter plate size. The original glass was absolutely so filthy that I really didn’t know if I had made a very pricy purchasing error. I believe the teeny brown dots occurred after the image was taken circa 1848-1850. The plate was probably reused and over time they appeared. Never the less, the piece was still in the original seals and it had been electroplated with an extra layer of silver. Erin, Casey and I have never seen this particular intricately painted scenic background used previously as a backdrop. Not only was the child very attractive and extremely composed but also her daguerreotypist was at the peak of his professional skills. He operated in a large studio that was equipped with a skylight. Need I add that the applications of colors were absolutely superlative and couldn’t have been done better! In fact, I have collected fine dags of tinted children since 1985 and this example is at the pinnacle of professional tinting! Naturally, I would like to know the reason why the gal wore that lovely white dress and was covered in garlands of flowers. Also, what was the significance of the flower bedecked apparatus she held? Her soft-sided slippers might suggest that she was a performer who danced in pageants. The child was so magical that she might have been a fairly princess or a solstice queen. My one-dimensional accumulation of pixels represents a mere dull shadow of the original. When the daguerreotype is turned into a completely negative view it is possible to see some dull mold spiders. There is one mold mite on her neck, a small dig in the silver above her breast and one green dot at the base of the fountain. Lovely blue patina traces the contours of the scalloped mat. Casey has also made a new leather hinge on the leather case.