D01-186. GRADUATED! Have you ever seen such a dapper artisan? I suspect that he has served his apprenticeship with a master craftsman and now it was time for the young gent to strike out on his own. He chose an excellent daguerreotypist to create his resealed sixth plate portrait. The young man brought in one of his largest wooden block planes for the likeness. I wonder if he also carried that small wooden table with him to display a sample of his own work? The maker of the smashing plate, that has many more specks in the scan then you will see with your eyes, perfectly positioned his subject. He successfully used the person's hand and arm (on his thigh) as a parallel path to the adjacent plane. Those pair of strong lines leads upwards, first to the fellow's hand resting on the tool, then across his narrow chest. The hint of a moustache tickles his upper lip. The intensity of those eyes is riveting! Topping of the composition is the carpenter's marvelous chapeau! Occupational dags of this quality are rarely offered for sale. As an added bonus, if you would like to own AN IDENTICAL WOODEN BLOCK PLANE, in excellent condition, please add $125 to the listed sale price. (It weighs 10 pounds and is almost 2 1/2 feet long). I will include shipping for the daguerreotype, which has very rich patina inside the double elliptical mat, and the plane via second day FedEx. The image is contained in an unusual leather case with a repaired leather spine. $3,650