Sixth Plate

SOMETHING IN HIS HAND! If the ancient chap wasn’t grasping the head of a cane, then he must have been preparing that fist to throw a punch at his maker just after the sixth plate, with a new seal, had been completed. While I don’t have any clues to the location of the portrait, taken circa 1846, it should be plain for everyone to see that the operator was barely competent and that he had operated on the fly so to speak. Really, if this crusty and very serious fellow had ever seen what a “good daguerreotypist” was capable of producing, well my thought is he would have tracked down his maker and demanded a refund! Folks, this was a crudely made portrait that I simply had to own. The silver wasn’t polished well and random feathery lines are everywhere, but they are not later scratches. The black dots might mean that this was a reused plate. That would have been the fellow’s shadow just over his shoulder. Tight quarters for sure. However, the operator DID achieve relatively impressive focus right on the man’s small intense blue eyes! When the worn, complete leather case is open, this senior citizen might want to speak to the beholder! Thick flowing tarnish, brown spots, mold spiders and white specks are all present.