Little Lady
SOLD November 2014 |
French quarter plate daguerreotype of a carefully dressed little girl displaying her sewing kit, probably by Dominique Achille Coeulte, Paris, circa 1850s. Resealed in a passe-partout mount and period frame, front glass has been replaced. With a portion of period photographer's label on reverse. Visible area of plate about 3.5 x 2.75 inches (9x7 cm), frame overall measures 9.5 x 8.5 inches (24x21 cm).
The poised urchin of this outstanding plate perches on her chair in a very ladylike fashion. Her dressy clothing includes a ribbon which has been tinted and appears blue around her neck but more reddish lower down, where I believe the original tint has perhaps tarnished. Her face and hands appear to have a touch of skin-tone color. Tones of the underlying plate range from the brightest possible whites to good dark tone in shadow areas. Her hair shows a braid at left which bears another ribbon. Her pride in the sewing kit shows her understanding that in the 19th Century, Home Seamstress was one of a woman's important life tasks.
The fragments of photographer's label found on reverse provide one letter of photographer's name, the joined "OE", as well as "[A]rtiste Photographe [...Dagu]erreotype / [R]ue Laffitte, [2]9 / [Me]me Maison [Boule]vard des Fi[lles du C]alva[ire..]" This seems to indicate Dominique Achille Coeulte as photographer, a daguerreotypist who was indeed listed at Boulevard des Filles de Calvaire 1 (Paris) from 1852-1862.
