Sixth Plate

I WONDER . . .What transpired in the studio the moments before the daguerreian pulled his dark slide and uncapped the lens. The girl?s resealed sixth plate certain shows her as a curious subject. The operator would have asked his client to place her bare fingers against her cheek, so she could be artfully posed. ?Look right here into the lens,? he suggested, ?And oh, don?t move.? She might have been momentarily startled by his final instruction. A large widow on the left permitted illumination to light the lass while on the opposite side past the edge of the tinted tablecloth a white reflector had been placed. All the specks above the table came from the pigments. A few black dots are visible. The cutouts on the cuffs of her white blouse were unusual. A complete leather case comes with the image.