Sixth Plate

“HOME SWEET HOME . . . Christian Thomas my only brother, Fannie Frederick City Maryland ‘My darling brother'” was all written in pencil on the black bottom paper of a late (after 1854) wooden and paper case that was used for both sixth plate dags or ambrotypes. Christian stood placidly next to a table covered with a fancy cloth and adjusted to a perfect height that permitted the cute little lad to rest one arm on top. His striped pants peeked out from under a fancy short-sleeved dark tunic that ended below his tiny waist. A splash of pale red color on his cheeks gives him a healthy glow; but the winning combination of great contrast, amazing tones and deep depth marks Christian’s retaped portrait for an advanced collector of cute kids. One brown spot is near his waist and several others are on his left. A few widely scattered mold mites can be seen and there is one mat mark upper left. You won’t notice any of those minor flaws!