Early Victorian half plate (5.5”) tintype photo in a mother of pearl inlaid case. Underneath the plate was found a handwritten memorial poem in honor of the owner’s father, with a braided lock of his hair woven into a heart sewn to the top. Helpfully, I bought this from another collector who resealed the photo and labelled the back with the copyright date 1856. This would have been one of the very earliest tintypes- right around the time they started to make the switch from ambrotypes to tintypes, which were cheaper to make and less fragile. Some condition issues: One piece of pearl missing from the case, an old repair to the leather spine, and the bottom part of the inside case is missing (photo stays in place fine). Sold at a low price, as is.