Sixth Plate

THE OPEN BOOK! Would this tome have been brought to a daguerreian’s studio by his pensive subject to include in her archivally taped sixth plate formal portrait? The placement of her hand on the page was a masterful compositional touch of brilliance. The lady turned her body away from the camera and angled her head down and in profile to the silvered plane. Next to the focus of her attention was an overflowing ceramic vase of flowers with some of the bouquet receiving the same pink embellishment that was added to her ribbons, secured by a small golden piece of jewelry. The maker used an exceptional lighting scheme to capture his client’s image. Notice that her face was fully defined because of the shadow along the line of her jaw. While the tarnish might be problematic when you look at the reproduction, the wonderful contrast and depth of the likeness quickly overshadow it. The use of a naked posing table is unusual. The leather case is complete.