Serious Little Girl, Hand Tinted Sixth Plate Daguerreotype

ONE OF THOSE DAGS! I have owned this serious girl since the late 1980s and one of the intriguing attributes has always been the changeable colors of her dress. I know everyone will think that I am messing with you when I say that at one angle the fabric was blue yet rotating it steeply will produce a reddish hue. Obviously, her small cloth handbag attached to a string that was looped around her arm had pink pigment applied to the surface. A hint of tint was also painted on her pretty face that was nicely accentuated because of wonderful illumination. I suppose if someone had time to research the urn that was exposed when the lass held open the small book, they might be able to glean the actual title. I was also enthralled by the very fancy linen tablecloth on top of the small dark wooden table. Those cutouts were certainly different from the normal coverings. Since there were creases and folds in the plain background the child?s resealed sixth plate had a rather primitive itinerant feel overall. The silver has blemishes, some from the day the image was made, circa 1844 and others like the mat abrasions, hazy oxidation and mold spiders over passing time. Might I add that there is nice reflected depth and the reproduction accentuates the negative appearance. The intact leather case is lovely and the red plush pad inside is still vibrant.