Sixth Plate

SO CLOSE . . . Yet so frustrating not to be able to decipher the printed text on that folded folio the happy young woman clutched in her arm. Whatever it represented, there is no doubt that she was pleased and proud to have been daguerreotyped in Rufus Anson?s gallery located at 589 Broadway on this retaped sixth plate. Those marks near her bonnet were probably a result of buffing plus some chemical contamination during the initial preparation of her silvery palette that has a broad range of mid-tones. The dots lower right are breaks in the patina. A few mold spiders are widely scattered. The lass is kept in a leather case without a hinge. Not only was Anson?s patron proud, she also created a bit of mystery wrapping her jacket over her arms. Naturally there might have been a practical reason. It could have been in the winter months and the studio was cold.