Sixth Plate

ACTION PACKED! The dynamic scene was frozen in the moments of time that it took an expert daguerreotypist to record this marvelous view outside a substantial two-story building housing an outfitter and maker of fine leather boots. While the seconds that the lens was uncapped passed rapidly by, arranging this remarkable tableau must have taken a lengthy amount of minutes! The lad driving the team hitched to the hay wagon was a mere stripling and the little boy next to him was even younger. He stood still while confidently holding the reins. In front of those horses was a pair of lads taken in dramatic profile. One stood with his arm cocked out away from his slender torso while the second fellow was mounted. Then there were those two young toughs, posed with hands in pockets and arms folded respectively while one leaned on the building for support. In the milieu of men and boys in front of those columns the crowd was less individually distinct, although the whiskered chap wearing a tall top hat and posed in the style of Napoleon might have been a gentleman of importance. Were the occupants, a father with two sons, in the carriage drawn by a single white steed just passing by or also key people in the scene? That horse was held by another youth who did his best to keep the beast still. The poser above the neck of the horse might have had a good reason to be part of the group. Finally, the remaining five adults all appeared to have happened into the image that was taken by a man using a landscape lens on his camera. Although the ground was gently sloping, his delineation of the structure was architecturally correct. Not only does that impress me, but also the smashing brilliance of the view. The tonality was fabulous and the contrast even better! The archivally sealed plate (by another person) has two pieces of dust lower left under the glass. Inside the brilliant colorful patina are specks and flecks especially in the lower corners. One area of slight decay is seen upper left. The complete sixth sized leather case has an excellent repaired hinge. The overall sharpness is awesome along with the light and shade dappling the windows thus creating another dimension. This was a superlative effort orchestrated and produced with great insight!