Sixth Plate

MIRRORED PORTRAIT! Why did the young gentlemen require a resealed sixth plate daguerreotype that presented each of them twice in a very clever dag manipulation? The reason is sadly unknown. Did their maker, Mr. Higgins, who stamped his identification in the lower left corner of that fancy brass mat, perform these magical feats often we might inquire? Never having seen another likeness done in a similar fashion leads me to the conclusion this example might have been an experimental ?one off? effort. Clever indeed I might add. Higgins, who was either Benjamin, operating primarily in Syracuse NY or Oscar. The latter had a studio in Boston MA. Casey and I agree that the lads were copied from an original plate. He suggested that the ?trick? might have been done in camera using a single exposure while I believe that two exposures (of the first dag) were made to obtain the results. The silver was re-cleaned and while there are various dots and some remaining tarnish the boys are really unaffected. The brilliance in the conceptual piece of daguerreian art and the results were astounding. It is the first time we have seen two subjects presented in this unique style. The daguerreotype is kept in a rare fine thermoplastic case that has an angel in profile carrying a cornucopia.