I'm finding myself more and more drawn to things that feel mysterious and elusive, and this feels very much that. It's a sixth plate daguerreotype of a naive graphite drawing depicting a young child in profile with eyes closed and small hands in their lap, suggesting perhaps it was a postmortem drawing (?)--though with a gentle sweetness that makes it seem as if he was just poised for bedtime. It appears to have been hand-tinted, adding just a blush of pink to the cheeks, and while not easy to photograph well is is a very strong as well as delicate image with the lines of the drawing extremely clear and appearing almost as if part of the plate. Resealed by a previous owner, the image is behind glass with a brass mat and housed in a latching full leather case. C. 1850s I believe and found in New England.
Plate measures 3 1/4" x 2 3/4". Case, when closed, measures 3 11/16" x 3 5/16" x 9/16". Excellent condition, the plate is clean with no wipe marks, and case is in great shape.
