Quarter Plate Over Matted

BY 1845 . . . John Plumbe was the owner and sponsor of several daguerreian galleries. Obviously he had a number of very competent camera operators and their assistants working overtime to produce quality daguerreotypes. While the passage of time has not treated the once perfectly presented silvery mirror so kindly, there remains enough of the original vision for me to proclaim that this over matted quarter plate with a new archival seal was once a stunning likeness. Look at the teenager?s relaxed attitude and the soft smile on her lips. Her flesh tones once were realistic and that tablecloth would have been colored powder blue. Red highlighted the small ornamental pin secured to her dress. The neutral background permitted the lass to step forward and be seen in the best light. The horizontal design on the cover, with a lyre in the center, was favored by Plumbe?s galleries. The reverse was plain and someone used dark paper to make a new hinge. ?PLUMBE? was stamped in the center of the brass octagonal mat!