Sixth Plate

UNUSUAL. Could two little brothers, the older one standing on the left and the smaller tyke seated in a wooden chair on the right, be cuter in a retaped sixth plate? Their operator was first rate, obtaining advanced tonality and contrast while creating a holographic jewel! After appreciating the pair and studying their wonderfulness, I kept returning to that gray area on the elder brother’s shoulder. Since it is part of the surface and doesn’t seem to be a flaw, it could only have been the edge of one parent’s clothing, ghosted because he or she moved away before the exposure was completed. Notice that the daguerreotypist had to improvise to obtain equal head heights for the lads. The tried and true one chair on top of another option. That slender hint of a rod to the right of the little boy’s neck was part of the head clamp. Thick tarnish hugs the mat in places. The reflected depth is astounding! A few mold mites are visible and one mat scrape in the lower right corner. The white dots are daguerreian frosting from the day the object was created. The early thermoplastic case with U-shape hinges that aren’t pinned has a floral design that Erin, Casey and I have not previously seen. (Please see the second scan). There isn’t a maker’s label under the image. An attractive blue velvet pad compliments the tiny subjects.