The panorama captures a piece of equipment
used in the wet plate process. The dark box (or sometimes
dark tent) inadvertantly shows up in many photographs of the
period. The laborious and delicate process was irksome enough
without having to move the equipment out of the way for a shooting
session. In this case, it appears that the inclusion was on
purpose. Thanks for stopping by!
The detail view shows a clever portable darkbox with hand holes
placed at a comfortable level. The posed pair are very possibly
Cook and Friend themselves. Too bad the text of the advertising
on the top is not readable. But we can see some components of
the motif. Typical American-style eagle, posed on a shield,
bunting or flags, it would appear. In the modern age of ubiquitous
easy photography, we can only admire skill and artistry of
these early photographic efforts.
Feedback is always
welcome.
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© 1999 Ken Hamilton All rights reserved