Europe & United States, ca. 19th century CE. A collection of 10 daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes under glass in a hinged cases some made of leather covered wood or thermoplastic with velvet linings. All are portraits of people, including couples, children, older women, and young men. Some of the jewelry or buttons have been hand painted in gold pigments, and pale pink blush has been added to several faces. Thermoplastic was a novel material first patented in 1856, created by combining shellac and finely ground sawdust. It gained widespread popularity due to its suitability for intricate engravings and die-pressing on cases - as seen here. This material was often called "Composition" or "Union," and so these cases were commonly known as Union cases. Size: 3.75" L x 3.25" W (9.5 cm x 8.3 cm)

Provenance: private Lumberton, Texas, USA collection, acquired before 2010

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#183603

Covers coming apart, or completely loose. One photo of a couple has losses to the velvet liner. Chips and losses to some thermoplastic / Union case cover corners. Fading to photos. Some losses to leather covers and spines.