Description
Ambrotype, 6th plate
This image is dark, but it has very nice content. Two young soldiers stand behind a mother, father and young girl. The young men are likely the older brothers of the young girl. The young men are both wearing shell jackets that are similar to Confederate depot jackets. Under a loupe some of the buttons appear to be eagle buttons. They could be either Union or Confederate soldiers, but without definitive information, the image is priced as if they are Union men. The image is a clear glass ambrotype. It is backed in an interesting manner. Rather than a piece of cloth or black paper, the image uses a metal sheet to make it positive. The metal sheet is stamped as follows: “Melainotype Plate For Neff’s Patent 19Feb56.” The metal sheet is bent at the edges and appears to have been meant for this purpose. The emulsion side of the image faces the metal sheet, meaning the image has been corrected for the reversal caused by the photographic process. It is housed in a half leatherette case.
