Sixth Plate

WAS SHE . . . The most gorgeous teenager who ever posed for an oil on canvas portrait? And did she or her parents or her lover commission a daguerreotypist circa 1846 to copy the likeness on to his own sixth plate receptacle that had a silvered mirror-like finish? Not only was the craftsman a professional operator but he also had consummate skills using pigments to color this subject with unrivaled perfection. Who was this coy girl, whose liquid brown eyes and rosy red lips would have melted any suitor?s heart? The eager expression upon her creamy face was painted to the final degree of realism! Her dramatic and revealing pose was daring and enticing. Showing her naked shoulder, pointed directly at the artist while being softly caressed by her canary yellow dress and a magnificently tinted shawl was triumphant inspiration! Her hand tugged at the fabric. A wedding band and bracelet were both toned with gold. That forest green bonnet accented by those red slashes of tinting dramatically encompassed the belle?s beautiful face. She wore a narrow band in her hair that was accompanied by a round pin capped with pearls. The use of expertly contrived imaginary illumination with highlights and shadows leave this admirer breathless. The minor spotting on the likeness, caused by weeping glass and a series of small scrapes upper left (that occurred many years ago since patina has filled in some of them) absolutely do not deter my appreciation of this daguerreotype. An intact leather case with an ornate cover and geometric reverse has a red embossed cushion inside.