Sixth Plate

SLIDING SIDEWAYS! A good thing the operator made the exposure when he did to place that pale lad on a piece of sixth plate silver before he moved too far to the left. Or was the camera in motion towards the right? Anyway, coupled with that awesome jacket, and his neutral expression, I like the little boy! Although what was his mother thinking when she permitted her MALE offspring to be daguerreotyped with that black curl of hair caressing his forehead? Holographic brilliance leaps out at the viewer even before the repaired leather case is fully opened. My scan even shows the reflectance of those white buttons in the kid’s resealed perfect portrait. His maker placed red paint on his precocious subject’s lips and cheeks. Original patina follows the shape of the brass mat.