Featured What's THIS Cameo made of Please???

Hi.....Since joining Ancestry a couple of weeks ago, have been going through the genealogy stuff that I have (OI!...WHAT did I get myself into!!!) and had forgotten that I had at least this ONE nice gutta percha daguerreotype of a relative with a cameo in the middle.....would LOVE to know what she's made of!! The relative inside is about 1842, so I am assuming that might help date the dag. and the O.D. is 2 1/2" x 3".......BTW, it was FILTHY from being in a box with a mess of other stuff so I took a very soft bristled tooth brush and VERY gently gave her a LIGHT scrub with mostly warm water. Didn't seem to hurt it any, thankfully!! Here she be:

 

some type of pottery ?
With the bubbles in the hair I'd say resin....if it was newer.

 

Interesting -- I had not seen this case before. I agree that it might be some kind of ceramic.

Just to let you know, there is a chance that the case is newer than the daguerreotype, because sometimes people later changed things if original cases were damaged. But they also might be contemporary with each other.

What do you mean by "O.D."? Also, are the dimensions for the case or for the dag? Can you show the inside of the case, including what the dag looks like? You also wrote that "the relative inside is about 1842" and that that might help to date the dag -- is 1842 when the person was born?

Thanks!

 

If you think the cameo might be ceramic you might use the term "sprigged" to search for something similar. That term is often used when a decoration is cast in a mold then applied to the body of a piece.

 

I also meant to say, this is called a Union case. That is the name for these types of cases. They were not actually made of gutta percha, but instead were thermoplastic.

I also found a couple of recent online listings for similar cases:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/252231006555?

http://www.prices4antiques.com/Case...er--Tintype-Portrait-of-Two-Men-E8880695.html

I believe that this type of case was first manufactured in the 1850s, although I'm going only on memory so that may not be correct.

Some info I just quickly found:
http://oldphotographic.com/tips/gutta-percha-or-thermoplastic-union-cases

Fig

 

Fig......that Information was so awesome!!!!! Really filled me in on SO much!!!! 'O.D.' simply stands for 'outside dimensions'...in this instance....the case....will post more pictures as soon as I take them....SO, Union Case it IS!!!! Live and LEARN!!!! And I'm not saying the date is accurate that is in with the case.....I have no idea who wrote it....but judging from the color of the paper, it wasn't recent......and I have 6 other cases, but they are of the wood and leather Union Cases, and all with the spines split.....someone thought enough to put little notes in to identify some of them! AAAAAND, since that site says if done carefully, one might not hurt the value of the leather spines if repaired carefully, would love to find a good quality repair kit!!!

 

So, here's the additional pics......

 

Thanks, Aquitaine -- Nice case and photo!

First, just FYI, the wood and leather cases are not called union cases... only these hard thermoplastic ones are.

I will see what I can determine about this. The mat and preserver, and the birth year of "about 1842," all agree (in my mind) that this image is from the early 1860s. He does look pretty young so maybe very late 1850s. I do have some references at home that might help. I hope to look at them tonight.

 

Wonderful Fig! And thank you for all of your help!!! So I take it the other cases are just "wood & leather cases"...........which is fine!!!! They still hold history just as well!!!!!

 

The cameo could be plaster.

 

Does the cameo come off easily or did you do some creative cropping on the close up picture?

 

Just some "creative cropping"......

 

Just a little "creative cropping" before I reduced the file size.....

Sorry 'bout the double post....the first one had disappeared into thin air!!!!

 

There are three very similar variants of your case pictured on page 220 of Paul Berg's book Nineteenth Century Photographic Cases and Wall Frames. Second edition, 2003

 

Whoops, hit "post" too quickly. This will take a minute. The three variants are very similar. His numbering system has them numbered as 3-116G, 3-116C1, and 3-116C2. They are so similar, but I think the third of these is the one that is most like yours. These are in the "Geometric" category.

Your case was manufactured by the Scovill company. Unfortunately, I don't see any information on what the center is made from. Here is some history on the manufacturer: http://www.thelampworks.com/lw_companies_scovill.htm

No date is given for the case. I will check another source for information about the mat and preserver, which might be able to be dated.

 

Because the mat on yours is partly covered by the preserver, I can't completely see the design. There were three different designs depicted in the book I just consulted that could be it. All of them were dated in the 1860s, mostly towards the middle of the decade. So the mat could date anywhere from 1861-1867. It is most likely in the mid range of those dates. The preserver (which is the thin brass edge about the mat) dates from the 1860s for sure. The book is Fixed in Time, by Sean Nolan (2015).

Another question I have, just to make sure, is whether the photo is really a daguerreotype. Was it difficult to get it at the right angle for the image to be visible? It might also be an ambrotype or a tintype. Daguerreotypes still were being made by the 1860s but were becoming a rare method, as ambrotypes and tintypes were much more prevalent and popular by then.

 

Figtree, you are good! I know who I am looking for when I need help.

 

First, No difficulty to see or photograph the image at all! I'm wondering if a library would have the first book you mentioned...Nineteenth Century Photographic Cases and Wall Frames....looked on Amazon and the first NEW book they had listed at $30., and EVERY succeeding USED book was $50. AND UP!!!!! Really don't want to spring that for ONE Union case!!!! Fig, I can't thank you enough for all of the help you're giving me on this!!!!!

 

I thought at one time these cameos were made from lava rock?

 

There are cameos made of lava rock, but they look different from this. I have a couple of them. They are generally in higher relief and are more in earth tones, the natural color of lava... many shades of browns and blacks.

Also, the cameo on this case was more mass produced. They probably made at least hundreds, if not thousands, on which the cameo looked exactly the same. I'm not sure of the production methods of lava cameos. I'm sure they were replicated, but not sure in which quantities for each one.

Each lava cameo is all one color... not two-toned like this one.

Here is a search with images of some:
https://www.google.com/search?q=lav...7u0Z_LAhWFkx4KHXW0C_sQsAQIXw&biw=1680&bih=953