“TAKEN AT WELLS . . . Oct. 1850 Dr. Hampton.” That information was written in the bottom of the young gent’s repaired sixth plate leather case. My question is obvious, was the subject a doctor or was his maker not only a man of medicine but also an experimenter in the the fine art of crafting daguerreotypes? I am leaning towards the latter, although I have been unable to find any daguerreian reference to a “Dr. Hampton” taking dags. Solid craftsmanship is exhibited in this resealed portrait. The essence of the soulful subject certainly was obvious as he sat sideways on a small chair, whose back acted as a resting place for the gent’s wrist. A solid base was created by the strong horizontal flow of his lower arm. The tarnish and mat scrapes aren’t bothersome and that white mark on the right was a piece of lint trapped under the gold chloride. Red blush was added to the man’s cheeks. Excellent tonality and contrast were accomplished.
