The Hand of Fate
SOLD December 2015 |
Quarter plate French daguerreotype circa 1850 showing a uneasy-looking child in white, with a mysterious hand steadying his head from left. The hand belongs to a black clothed or draped figure in background of image. Housed with original backing board behind a replacement oval paper mat, overall dimensions of mount just under 6 x 5 inches (15x13 cm).
There is some faint applied color to the child's face and arms. Whites of dress are well-rendered. It appears as if the face of background-lurking figure, which would be at extreme top of image hear mat, may have been wiped off, perhaps before image was gilded. If so the wiping has left no abrasions to plate.
Images and text copyright © 2000-2023 by Christopher Wahren Fine Photographs