Sixth Plate

HIDING DEATH! I was stunned when I removed a horrid sixth sized mat someone had previously placed on this remarkable artifact! I saw that the image I held in my hands was a dag copy done the day the original was produced. I have ascertained that the man held a dead child in the original likeness. His shocked and forlorn expression would suggest the terrible moment when the lens was uncapped. The father was propped up in that chair by a large bolster. Was he also ill, hence desiring a portrait of himself without the child? An actual piece of fabric was cut out and placed on the silver successfully masking out the body. Although a sliver of clothing remained visible at the bottom. (I made the reproduction of the naked plate at Erin?s home using my phone. I also did restoration there using an octagonal brass mat, restoring the dag to the original presentation). Upon returning to Exeter I scanned the copied masterpiece. A leather case from the proper timeframe, circa 1847, was found too. The holographic record is not in the best of condition, but the absolute power and importance of the portrait remains unencumbered!