Before I ever removed the oval brass sixth plate mat from this amazing daguerreian gem, I realized that very few portraits were ever taken that revealed a more instantaneous exposure, which must have lasted at least six to eight seconds. The darling little girl had been carefully positioned on a cloth-draped chest. She was told to place her hands on either side and keep her feet apart and still. At the mid-point, while the lens was uncovered, she simultaneously moved one arm and one leg, leaving us with ghostly gray shadows that revealed their original places. Her enormous glowing dark eyes have reflections revealing broad lighting that entered the room from overhead. Her tiny lips are separated in such a manner that I believe she was startled during the exposure. Could the operator or one of her parents have yelled at her when they saw movement? Although there are a few brown spots on the surface, along with a mysterious white dot in her hair and a teeny green speck next to her right leg, I still felt very strongly about her image. I couldn’t have been more surprised and delighted when I saw two “daguerreian” fingers on the left side of the plate and that extremely odd padded and fringed cushion resting on a silver base. Casey and I are mystified. Any thought about what that object is? If only those digits were holding a lens cap! I have reglassed and retaped the outstanding tot. She resides in a leather case embossed with a delicate roses theme with a split spine. The child was taken about 1848.
