Sixth Plate

AS GRANNIES COME AND GO . . . This ancient woman still had the spark and was given a large portfolio to hold open on her lap while her maker managed to place his patron on a resealed sixth plate. A very rare late hallmark ?L.C. 40? was imprinted in the silver. Of course, the first question anyone would ask today, when the detached cover of her leather case was removed would be, ?I really wonder how old she was?? I would offer this; she was probably taken for a milestone in her long life. One of her family members would have suggested that she be daguerreotyped for posterity. And it might have been on one of three birthdays, 90, 95 or 100 years old. Her ancient furrowed face was really well delineated since three equal light sources were used to illuminate her. It seems as though she was seated in a very small room with a skylight or more likely in a daguerreian wagon. A straight pin was used to close her stained and repaired shawl. Most of the whitest areas in the portrait were solarized light blue. This aspect of the dag points in the direction of a traveling maker or a small town operator. The brightness and brilliance of the likeness can?t be shown in my scan. There are bubbles in the patina that has formed inside the very late brass mat. Brown dots are in a few places and there is one area of brown decay below her left shoulder. One mat mark is visible upper right.