Sixth Plate

A DYNAMO! A wiry gent about 50 sat for his retaped sixth sized portrait in a dramatic pose while wearing a jacket that looks too large. His weathered face and “Franklin Pierce” tonsorial styled hair immediately drew my attention beyond his tightly clasped hands and puckered plaid vest. The roughness in the gent’s personality and his serious mien made him into a man who was probably respected from a distance. The daguerreotypist’s illumination was stunning, highlighting one eye buried beneath black bushy brows while leaving the other one in shaded darkness. If that effect doesn’t add to the subject’s character . . . There is a steely grayness to the spectacular surface of silver. When I used a loupe to look closer at the man’s face it was a battle of strong-willed men. He wasn’t eager to reveal much. One brown spot and a couple mold mites are seen. The bottom of a leather case barely contains him!