WRINKLED FOREHEAD. Certainly a medium in the mid-19th century when the gentleman requested this retaped sixth plate dag could have viewed his visage and determined the high points of his life by examining the amazing textures on his face. Have I ever seen a more furrowed forehead? And those scored lines coursing across his cheeks were remarkable! Then the indentations surrounding his tight-lipped mouth continued the saga of a wonderful life. His intelligent eyes watched a skilled daguerreian while he worked. Could that dark area underneath the fellow?s chin have been a beard or was it fabric? The contrast was exceptional only surpassed by the holographic depth. Fortunately, the white mark on the left, the mold mites and white specks on the man?s temple and the faint specks upper right are all nearly invisible when the likeness is seen in the bottom of a leather case. The patina inside the oval is bright. Gold was applied to the watch chain. I?m not sure what created the pale blue haziness across the bottom of his portrait.
