Nineteenth-century pair of encased photographs of the same woman (with the label Mother pinned inside one of the cases), one a daguerreotype and one possibly a slightly more recent ambrotype. The daguerreotype shows the woman with a sleeping (probably deceased) infant, while the ambrotype shows her alone. The frame boxes, called union cases in their day, are made of lightweight wood covered in a thin layer of embossed leather. The photographs, made in the sixth plate size also common in that era, are under glass and beautifully framed in brass. The daguerrotype shows wear common to that type of photograph: some tarnish around the edges, and fading of the image, but the details of the woman and her baby are still quite clear. The ambrotype is in very good condition. The brass frames and velvet case linings have held up well, and though the hinged covering on each case has long since broken, the tiny hook-clasps work perfectly. Each case measures about 3 by 4 inches.

Good antique condition.