HER RED CARPET BAG! The older woman was taken circa 1845 while completely cloaked for autumnal weather. She might have been in a hurry and slowly marched into a maker’s small room asking to have her sixth size portrait taken immediately. Her heavy bulging valise drew down on one arm. The lady never even bothered to remove her cotton gloves. The light streamed into the room from directly behind the camera and lit up the contoured edges of her thick glass lenses that were surrounded by either a gold or silver frame. Was the daguerreian working in a wagon? And why would he ask a fragile elderly citizen to stand in front of his variegated cloth, lined with creases and a rainbow of colors from the exposure and aging process? She wavered while the lens was uncapped and the dark slide pulled. Her slack mouth was slightly down turned and her ancient eyes peered beyond the camera. The reflected depth is impressive but can’t match the subject’s character. Her complete leather case has an unmarked silk pad inside and was impressed with a variant of the Delicate Roses theme.
