Sixth Plate

A FANCY BELT! But you all know that it wasn’t part of the curly haired dark eyed boy’s ensemble when mother brought her offspring to a daguerreotypist who she commissioned to produce a fine retaped sixth size portrait correct? That piece of cloth would have secured the lad to the vertical post of the posing stand after the head clamp had been put in place. The child had a remarkable mane resting on his head! It cascaded down the sides framing his face. His round brown eyes cautiously watched the operator. That expression on the tyke?s lips suggested wonderment; maybe at the process he was enduring or more likely, because his parents were able to convince him to have been taken. I broke the original paper seals. All the swirls you see is oxidation that has occurred over the long life of the daguerreotype. A fancy push button leather case, that was imprinted with a horn filled with flowers, has a missing cover. Subtle tinting and remarkably deep depth add to my enjoyment of the lad?s portrait. I think that those faint lines, one on his eye and a couple on his forehead, are also tarnish. There are faint water stains near the child?s head and on his shiny tunic.