Emily's Head

Emily's Head

What a lovely face.
No wonder
I love her.

It is intriguing
how different
the two sides seem.
Note the light sneer,
not as obvious
as Diana Rigg,
but subtly inviting
nontheless.

The left side
(hers)
seems to be
a direct challenging stare;
while the right
seems to be
uneasy,
looking off
(for help, perhaps?)

All in all
she looks like someone
a bit embarrassed
and uncomfortable
awhile looking
into the imposing big black box
of this new invention,
(the came)--
a little later
than Daguerre's machine.

Comparing
the photographic quality
to pictures
of Civil War times,
I do see an improvement
in picture quality.
I wonder
how long
she had to hold
that pose?


Lets take it apart,
and see what gives.
Very interesting.

I think we have to
ignore the neck.
The photo has her head
turned a bit,
so the two sides
of the neck
seem to be
different sizes.
Also the light is
from her left,
so that the left side
is much brighter
than the right.

So let's not read too much
into skin color.
I begin to wonder
about this right brain,
left brain stuff.
I can understand
how it might effect
facial expression.
Could it effect
the actual phytsical formation
of the head?


There now;
she is
looking right at you;
boldly going
where no 19th century woman
dared?
The real Emily?
The alter ego?
A timid
and unsure girl--
the public face?

Now, let's assemble
two faces,
using just lefts
on one
and just rights
on the other.

Wild nights?
She could not stop for death?
There is still
a strong determination
in all three
faces.
Something to think about,
eh?

Doug Palmer November 2006