Sixth Plate

WAS THEIR AGE DIFFERENCE . . . Wide enough apart that we are seeing grandmother and her granddaughter or was the woman a mature mother when she birthed the gal? Studying their rounded faces filled with freckles, I suspect my latter thought was correct. The daguerreian did an exceptional job separating the pair from the darkness behind them. In fact, the tonality and contrast of their retaped sixth plate are both astounding! Their maker applied pigment to cheeks and lips. He also daubed the girl s plaid ribbon with pale blue paint. While the pose lacked no more than a rudimentary understanding of artistic arrangement, the piece is effective because the dour faced duo are so highly reflective that any viewer wants to study them closer. I should also mention that mom and daughter were lit by light from overhead. The spine is missing from the leather case. Narrow oxidation hugs the mat opening.