I am asking my favorite list to direct me on this one. In 1980 when my gg grandfather John T. Stewart's youngest daughter died I was allowed to choose an heirloom from her house. I chose what I now know is a union wooden case with a wooden carving of what looks like two jockeys riding on both the front and back and other wooden carving as decoration. Inside is a picture of a little girl standing on a chair on a piece of glass fronted by a clear piece of glass and then there is a copper outlining frame and bits of copper framing all of the outside edges of the glass. This fits neatly into the case. There is a soft plush brown lining in the cover of the case with a decorative motif. Underneath the picture was an old picture of a grown woman on old photographic paper and I think it is the little girl when grown up. Inside the case it says Genuine Union Case improved Fine gilt and burnished hinges S. Peck's patent. Oct3d 1854 LL. Halverson's patent, Aut. 7th 1855 Assigned to S. Peck Can anyone direct me where to go to get some idea of what kind of photo this is and a possible date. Thanks, Karen

What you are looking at is a Daguerreotype which is an early photographic process using a silver or silvered plate. They were used from about 1840-1860 so you see it matches the time period of your ancestor. If you do a google search you can find out more about the process. Grace Keir