Sixth Plate

THE BACKGROUND behind the be-whiskered gentleman appears to be a checkered flannel cloth. It is at least a couple feet from the individual and softly out-of-focus so it doesn’t compete with his countenance but a viewer is subtly aware of the pattern. The maker actually ratcheted his lens one turn too far and caused the man’s woolly salt and pepper beard to be mushy. The depth-of-field catches the intensity of his glare and defines his hair. Deep dark splashes of patina jump out from the edges of the resealed sixth plate. Aside from a couple teeny black specks in the drop near the diagonal crease in the drop, the portrait in untouched. The half leather case has a common bouquet of flowers.