The selected tin-type captures a beautiful example of mid-19th-century photography. Based on the construction, this artifact appears to be a cased tintype or ambrotype dating from the late 1850s to the 1860s. The image displays a young boy posed in formal attire, set inside an ornate, gilded brass mat and preserver frame. It is housed in a classic leather or thermoplastic "Union case"Produced directly onto a thin sheet of iron coated with a dark lacquer. Because the base metal is magnetic, you can easily verify it by gently touching a small magnet to the back of the bare plate (if it can be safely reached). Tintypes have slightly softer, milky-white highlights. Ambrotypes: Captured on a sheet of clear glass. To see the positive image, a dadark piece of paper, cloth, or black lacquer was placed behind the glass. If the dark backing flakes off over time, the image becomes partially transparent. Daguerreotypes: These feature a highly reflective, mirror-like polished silver plate. The image shifts dramatically between a positive and a negative view depending on the angle you hold it against the light.