Sixth Plate

CHECKERED TROUSERS. The daguerreotypist perfectly posed his freckle-faced subject knowing when the sixth plate fancy oval mat was placed around him the composition would be pleasing. A small chair was used to seat the very handsome kid, whose tie is a three dimensional marvel in itself. I wonder why the lad’s mom didn’t button up his jacket completely. Maybe it was a fashion thing in the early 1850s when the retaped portrait was taken. Since the boy was off center and his hands were strategically arranged low, there is a lovely flow to the entire piece. A splash of red rouge was added to his cheeks. He is surrounded by magnificent patina and kept intact inside a leather case adorned with a pheasant and grapes on the cover. The bottom is a crazy quilt geometric.