LOOSE CORN ROWS! The hot irons must have been baking for hours in anticipation for the preparation that was associated with the style that the woman achieved in her resealed sixth plate triumph. Her bold deliciously decorated dress, white lace collar and under sleeves and gigantic cameo all effectively collaborated to enhance her appearance! I have always appreciated any daguerreotypist who had the skill to use a faulty lens effectively. I am puzzled that a photographer in the 1850’s, when the subject sat for her portrait, still used an inferior glass and brass tube. He was a master at placing the unfocused area where it was least objectionable. He used the lady’s hands and the razor sharp white lace sleeve as a visual point of entry into the photo. The vastness of her multi-toned habiliment, recently sewn for her visit to the daguerreian salon, is mostly a sea of softness. Then the ultimate purpose of her appointment is crisply delineated. Her full, finely hand colored face serves as a platform for those majestic queues of twisted and turned raven strands. The tremendous energy in the image is accentuated by the maker’s use of the dark drop and fairly narrow illumination. His client is surrounded by bold patina. There are some tiny spots and dots that are all harmless on the surface and a couple mat scrapes along the bottom. The leather case has a retaped hinge.
