A LARGE DOLL! Sixth Plate

While mom held her cunning little daughter close, the cute girl also placed a tiny hand on her enormous friend’s arm when this glorious retaped sixth plate was taken in a studio that permitted the maker to use balanced brightness to bathe his subjects. We can ascertain that the reluctant child had been squirming to and fro prior to the exposure as her dress is askew. She tilted her chubby face away from mom’s torso as a last act of defiance. I can’t decide if the woman’s expression revealed tenseness or final satisfaction since she had ultimately triumphed and reined in her offspring long enough for their remarkable triumph of silver to be so beautifully recorded. Red pigments were placed on the cheeks of the three subjects. While the contrast is fine, it is the range of mid tones that is most impressive. The entire lower third of the composition was so strongly diagonal while mother was a solid vertical anchor for their likeness. Soft patina moves with the contours of the scalloped brass mat. The condition of the wonderful daguerreotype is pristine. The early thermoplastic case has chips and the hinges have been repaired. Under the dag, printed in black, was “Patent Applied For”. Opposite the pair is an embossed bright burgundy pad.