Ambrotype Of A Civil War Wife In A Gutta Percha Case, 1860

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About the Item

Identical on both front and back, this brown gutta percha case has a lovely floral design with minimal geometric designs. The gilt stamped brass inner frame and inner mat are in fine condition, firmly placed in the burt-out velvet lining. The gutta purcha cases were made from a compressed combination of shellack and sawdust. This period case has survived in excellent condition. When families gather, there's always a chance that someone will pull out the old family photos. Vintage Instamatic snaps and Polaroids, sepia-tone studio portraits of generations past, possibly even an ambrotype. What's an ambrotype? It's a specific type of photo that was widely popular for a brief time. Chances are you've seen one-maybe even found one among your family's keepsakes -but you might not have known its name until now. The history of commercial photography starts with the daguerreotype, invented in France by Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre in 1839. In that process, a silver-coated copper plate is treated with chemicals and placed inside a darkened camera. When the camera lens is opened to light, the plate is exposed and the image is captured. This ability to capture an unadulterated image from life was revolutionary, but taking and processing a daguerreotype was time-consuming and expensive. Thus, daguerreotype photography studios catered mainly to wealthy and celebrated clients; the same people who might have had their portraits painted in oils. For ordinary folks, preserving one's visage for posterity tended to be cost-prohibitive until the introduction of the ambrotype (also called a collodion positive) in 1853. Devised by British sculptor Frederick Scott Archer and perfected and patented by Boston inventor/photographer James Ambrose Cutting (who gave the ambrotype its name), the ambrotype was a photograph exposed directly onto a glass plate, which was then backed with black paint or fabric to reveal its shading and contrast. That technology spread surprisingly fast, with daguerreotype studio photographers switching to ambrotypes, new photography studios opening in cities and itinerant photographers traveling the countryside to offer their services. Photo historian and archivist Gary Saretzky estimates that more than a thousand photographers worked in New Jersey in some capacity during the 19th century. Most left behind little more than a name and occupation listed in a municipal directory, but some left a lasting legacy. Among those whose work you'll see in prominent collections, including the Library of Congress, are Augur Judson (A. Judson & Co.) and Orrin Benjamin (O.C. Beniamin) of Newark. Ambrotypes had other advantages over daguerreotypes as well. Because a daguerreotype was made on a mirrored surface, it had to be positioned just so to be viewed properly. "Ambrotypes are flatter and more even with the image right at the surface so it's easier to view," Hewes says. Curators, historians and collectors appreciate ambrotypes because they can be dated to a specific period beginning in 1853 and ending around the late 1860s with the advent of tintypes -an even newer, cheaper and thus more ubiquitous form of photography. As you might expect, given the time period, hundreds of ambrotype portraits were taken of Union and Confederate soldiers from the Civil War. Plenty of famous people sat for ambrotypes as well. One particularly rare example is an 1860 ambrotype of Abraham Lincoln, now in the Newark Public Library Special Collections. Ambrotypes were made in standard sizes ranging from the Imperial or Mammoth Plate (larger than 6½ by 8½ inches) to a Sixteenth Plate (1½ by 1¾ inches), with the pocket-sized Sixth Plate (2¾ by 3¼ inches) and Ninth Plate (2 by 2½ inches) most common.

Dimensions:
Height: 3.75 in (9.53 cm)Width: 3.25 in (8.26 cm)Depth: 0.875 in (2.23 cm)
Style:
High Victorian (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Brass,Fabric,Gold Plate,Metal,Paper,Velvet,Embossed,Hand-Crafted
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1860-1869
Date of Manufacture:
1860’s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. In good antique condition having no major issues.
Seller Location:
New Orleans, LA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU6628236584312

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