“1850”! “John Pleasanton DuHamel” was also written on a slip of paper glued to the embossed red velvet pad inside the complete sixth plate leather case that contains the gent seen in his resealed portrait. Born 1832 died 1901 Rev. John Pleasanton DuHamel was born in Smyrna, Del., graduated from Delaware College and became a Methodist minister, serving churches in the Philadelphia area for 8 years. During the period, he became an Episcopalian and was ordained a priest in 1863, serving churches in Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. He retired from the ministry in 1890 to his farm in Sussex County, Del. In 1893 he began to serve several parishes in Sussex County. DuHamel was also a published poet. I will let the next owner discover how literate his musings were! The serious DuHamel hooked his thumb inside that dark vest next to a metallic object attached to the fabric. He held a quill pen in the other hand that was placed on a piece of paper near a couple books. The dag has fantastic contrast and almost endless depth. Original patina and an accumulation of mold spiders dot the silver. Red pigment was painted on his lips and cheeks.
