Ambrotype of a woman with a ribbon in her hair
Click here to view it larger.
In the comments of my last post, I got into a discussion that mentioned the handful of ambrotypes I have in my collection, and how I haven’t posted any because my scanner won’t create clear images of them, and my camera reflects in the image when I try to use that. But I finally figured, what the heck, I’ll share one anyway. (Please excuse the reflection of my camera.) Not to be confused with a daguerreotype (of which I don’t have any), an ambrotype is a negative image mounted on glass, and backed by something black, which makes the image appear positive. They are typically mounted in a frame or case, and all mine are framed in metal (brass?), this one measuring about 2 x 2.5 inches. In their day, they were considered a more economical alternative to a daguerreotype, and they are still a cheaper alternative for a collector today. Also, like daguerreotypes and tintypes, they are one-of-a-kind, which I like. There is no date or identification for this woman, though ambrotypes were most common in the third quarter of the 19th Century, and that would seem to match her style. Also, note that her cheeks are tinted, giving a rosy quality to her otherwise serious expression.
Pics of Then 
What a cool image! I don’t know that I’ve heard of ambrotypes before… (and I call myself a fan! hah). How big is the actual piece?
Oops, I meant to include the size. It’s about 2 x 2.5 inches, and I edited the post to include that. And thanks! Glad you like it. I’m hardly an expert. I keep having to look these things up to make sure I’m not completely off-base when describing them.
She’s lovely. She looks like she’s about to smile.
It’s generally believed that most ambrotypes were made between 1854 and 1863, so she almost certainly she sat for this portrait during that period. After that, tintypes and cartes-de-visite became the dominant formats. As you point out, ambrotypes were cheaper to make than daguerreotypes, which allowed people to sit for portraits who otherwise might not have been able to.
“About to smile”, I like that.