EASTMAN! There can?t be any question about the daguerreian who belted the grumpy kid into that small chair that was covered with printed fabric. I do wonder if there was a hole cut into the cloth so that the large glossy black belt around the boy?s waist could have been attached either to the spindles of the furniture or the vertical post of the head clamp? Tinting was applied to the textile and on the child?s lips. The resealed sixth plate has wonderful clarity and contrast. The eerie black dot on the drop lower right might be a circle of wayward tarnish that hugs the brass mat elsewhere. The mother of pearl case has a lovely cover that is separated from the rest of the Japanned box. Walter B. Eastman worked as a daguerreotypist at various locations in Boston circa 1847-1860. This image was typical of his efforts at providing the public with fine dags.
