A BLUE BOOK! That object might have been given to the lad because when he sat next to his sister and couldn’t keep his hands still (or maybe he kept flicking her ear) the daguerreian realized no success would be possible without a diversion, since talking to the recalcitrant lad was useless! By the way he held it, the boy wasn’t impressed with this diversionary tactic. He managed to move his head when the newly sealed sixth plate was exposed. His long suffering sibling posed as she was instructed but the look on her face could have curdled fresh milk!!! Their portrait is refreshingly primitive and the horizontal direction wasn’t normal. Did the operator realize unless he demanded that the kid lean forward slightly, the mat he had in mind might hide the top of his head? The cover is missing on the leather case. The silver was abraded slightly in the upper right corner. There are areas on the surface where moisture dripped down from the old glass and stained the plate. Mold spiders are also visible. Many of the marks on the youngster’s jacket and his poorly re-sewn vest were stains.
