A CANE & KERCHIEF! When buying online looking at bad scans from dealers who either won?t adequately describe condition or really don?t know what to look for, one is always taking a chance. Although this restored quarter plate daguerreotype does have a fingerprint against the mat upper right, the rather mysterious character of the gent and his situation in life at the time he was taken made keeping the piece worthwhile in spite of that flaw. Plus, the endless deeply reflected depth was so fantastic that one really does feel able to walk behind the bearded dark eyed fellow. At first glance I thought he might have worn a military tunic for his formal likeness. And of course, I wondered about the cloth tinted red resting across his legs. Certainly his ebony and ivory-headed cane could have belonged to an officer (really, look at his countenance closely, he was no enlisted man) or a gentleman. It would have been uncommon for the former to have a large handkerchief in that slash pocket, whereas the latter might have added the accessory for effect. You know, part of his arrogance and persona. Just looking at those shifty orbs watching us makes me ponder his reasons for being daguerreotyped in the late 1840s. His face and hands were lightly tinted, as were those buttons that can?t be identified. There is a horizontal line in the silver about 1.3 inches long and another smaller one underneath just below the subject?s hand that held his walking stick. Someone repaired the rare red velvet and wooden case that opened in the center and was clasped with a silver latch. I?m wondering if ?absolutely stupendous? conveys my feelings about the perfectly rendered person?
