D00-55. TOUCHED BY OXIDATION! Yes, the well-dressed woman is totally oblivious to the "vignette of deep blue tarnish" that has blossomed on the resealed sixth plate during the past 150 years. At the time she sat for her portrait at Rees & Co., 289 Broadway in New York City, the exquisitely polished surface would have been highly reflective. Time has not diminished the excellent contrast or dulled the rich tones. Rees posed the tall woman with perfection. Her left wrist rests on the edge of a tinted table cloth, allowing her hand to pass over the edge. He provided her with a small leather dag case to hold in her other gloved hand. His sky light studio permitted the subject to wear her tiny glasses. There isn't a hint of a reflection in the lenses. And those very dark eyes are scrutinizing a place just beyond the camera. There are some mat marks inside the oval and a few mold spiders. Never-the-less, the woman presents a powerful likeness. The leather case has a retaped hinge. $295