MONUMENTAL ILLUMINATION! Sixth Plate Dag

Swirling light lit the freestanding child in the center of a large studio space. I was amazed at the patterns and shadows that are seen in his/her remarkable sixth sized artwork that has a new seal. However, what displeased me immensely was the finger wipe midway up the left side of the plate next to the mat. An idiot slit the original seal recently, wiped the surface, realized what they had done then placed the dirty old glass over the kid and used the preserver to mask their handiwork! If ever I had a reason to be angry . . . “Currier” was stamped across the bottom of the mat in part of the fancy brass facets of the surface. John Craig accounts for several men of that name, most of who worked in Massachusetts. Curiously enough, only one man was listed as working in 1854, George H. and he was associated with Vance’s Sacramento CA gallery. I usually associate this mat style with a mid-1850s effort and the separated leather case, with a medallion of flowers imprinted in the center, was also popular then. I have never seen this particular arrangement of light and shade with those shadows in another daguerreotype. There are filmy marks on the left side of the plate and spots elsewhere, including near the child’s eye. Flesh tones and the carpet were both tinted.