Wistful Dreamer

Sixth Plate Daguerreotype | While most subjects of a daguerreotype look us in the eye and demand that we return the gaze, others look away, and a very few seem to have been caught in a moment of private contemplation. That is certainly the case with this working class gent, so absorbed in his thoughts, so arrestingly wistful. In some of my favorite daguerreotypes, the subject makes us wonder what is on their mind. It is not unreasonable to suppose that sometimes the subject is thinking of a loved one. In this instance could it be the painful subject of unrequited love? The note of tenderness in his eyes is made all the more intriguing by the way it contrasts with the jaunty angle at which he wears his cap; a style that suggests a different, rough-and-tumble side of his personality.

Condition: There are two dings in the plate: One above his cap, and the other near the mat at about 10 o'clock (a ding is a defect in the topography of the back of the plate that comes through as a bump in the front which reflect light a bit distractingly, but it and does not break through to effect the silvered image). A so-called "mold spider" (actually a silicate deposit from the original glass) is present at 7 o'clock. Some oxidation at the margins. On the plus side, tonality is rich and the detail is good. The plate presents better in the hand than the scan indicates. New archival and safe, modern cover glass.

Key points: Unusually emotional portrait of a young working man with much on his mind; with some condition problems to consider. American sixth plate daguerreotype, measuring 3 1/4 inches x 2 3/4 inches (8.2 cm x 7.0 cm). Image #D-38. price on request.