Sixth Plate

SAY THERE MY FRIEND . . . Or was the younger chap on the right the gentleman?s son? Without some positive identification we unfortunately will never know the relationship between the men. The guy on the right firmly placed his fists against his flanks, stood upright and puffed out his chest while his companion laid one hand on his shoulder. The recleaned and archivally sealed sixth plate has suffered damage in the past. The mat abrasions are very evident. There are green spots and silver decay in several places! Never the less, the daguerreotype still strongly resonates with anyone who opens the men?s complete leather case that has a professionally repaired hinge. Awesome reflected depth and great clarity propelled their likeness to the ?top of the class? the day they stood for the portrait in the mid-1850s. I keep looking at the cloth in the man?s clenched hand on the left, trying to ascertain what that might have represented. The intense scrutiny they gave each other was rarely seen portrayed in a daguerreotype.