Sixth Plate

THEY REALLY WEREN?T THERE! What an absolutely ingenious scheme the daguerreotypist concocted to please the parents of this adorable teeny blonde who just couldn?t remain still while a retaped sixth plate was produced. The babe, whose sex is rather indeterminate, lifted one small arm off that dark colored dress and waved at a parent while the operator groaned. Little did he know that the kid also did an imitation of a bobble head doll. After finishing the plate with an application of gold chloride, he prepared his paints and already had intended to create life-like flesh tones and add realism to the clothing. A flash of inspiration must have entered his brain at that moment. Daubing pale green tint to simulate leaves and a vivid red where flowers might have been, the ?artist? created a brilliant bouquet. I bet the cased portrait astounded his clients. He might not even have to explain that their adorable tyke just wasn?t going to cooperate further and that this likeness was his best and final effort! Patina sweeps inside the scalloped brass mat. The specks and flecks aren?t harmful and the dark dots on the kid?s lifelike face were from the chemical process. This unique presentation stands as a testimonial to a potential problem that daguerreians faced and how one man overcame it with an outstanding solution!