Quarter Plate

THINK PINK! After sharing this splendid retaped quarter dag of two self-confident gals with collector Linda Hose her comments were: “The puzzle here is wondering what those ladies’ dresses actually looked like and wondering why they wanted them to be colored the same vivid color. The fabrics used in the two dresses are different. The lady on the left appears to have a more expensive silk moir�? while the gown on the right appears to be more every-day cotton. I don’t think they are sisters. Maybe the unified color choice symbolized their unity as best friends forever. Sounds like something two devoted female friends might do around 1850. Pink is not only the color of youth but also of affection. I’m sure the color choice was deliberate. The colorist would not have done their dresses all in pink unless requested. This portrait is a beautiful testament to a close friendship between these two ladies.” I have often kidded with Linda saying that SHE should write more captions for my dags. Their leather case is separated and aside from the flecks and specks (a couple teeny green ones between the girls) seen in the scan, the gals rock! There is also dark patina inside a brass mat that has a design rarely used. I actually think the dag was taken circa 1855. I should add that the elaborate woven hair the subject on the right displayed must have taken hours to arrange. I will mention this but you might never see the parallel scratches that extend down from the woman’s nose on the left to the mat. They are so thin and innocuous that I only noticed the flaws when the dag was turned negative. On the copper side is an inscription that is very difficult to decipher. I can only get ” . . . . one the other . . . ? There is at least one word or maybe two proceeding the phrase and one or two afterwards. This was a very sumptuous likeness and the duo still boldly resonates today.