A FANCY CHAPEAU! That was not exactly a conventional brim on the front of the fur-lined hat. It might only have been decorative. When the sides were folded down they could have covered the fellow’s large ears. Just above the edge a decorative silk cord was an added embellishment. Casey recently did archival restoration on this sixth plate chap. That white spot on his cheek appears to have been a moisture stain. There are a few faint mold spiders, a couple latent brown dots and mat abrasions on the bottom. Three almost invisible brief lines are above his head in the cloth drop. Underneath the fellow are the original newspaper seals. The whole leather case is slightly warped, but by summer it will flatten out no doubt! I had begun the caption and just returned to the gent. He exuded a determined self-confidence, aided by the placement of his handsome face turned away from the lens. Did you notice that the shape of the guy’s scraggly beard followed the dip of his hat? He was an intriguing poser from the late 1840s.
