Mourning picture locket help

[vernon1959]

So as the title says i need a bit a help.

 Is there a way to find out if the woven material behind the picture is cloth or hair? It's very tightly woven-almost looks like it was knitted and uniform in color.

 Second question there are 2 photos. One looks like a normal picture. The other looks almost like the picture is on glass or it's a negative. It has a hologram like effect. What's the proper name for this type of picture?

Thanks for all who take the time to look!

Pauline 

[gauntlettgems]

So hard to tell on the hair/cloth It almost looks like black silk cord, from here anyway but I've seen amazing things done with hair Can you open it?

[minsatisstuff]

This won't be much help but I think that is hair woven in one of the intricate ways the Victorian era was noted for. Also check out "ambrotype" which might explain a little more. Hope you get a definative answer!

[southernmermaid8]

Pauline , I don't really know the answers to your questions but just wanted to say I love old pictures , especially when they are mixed with Jools . So sentimental . She must have been truly loved .

Love her jewelry in the second photo . Did they add color to her cheeks in the picture or is that just discoloration ? It kinda looks like it's on her dress too . I always think of those color added to photo pictures as 40's - 50's , but maybe it started earlier than I thought . Her clothes certainly look older . 

Mermaid 🐳

[hollie561]

Looks like whatever type of photo it is was cut out of it's background and placed in the locket.

The heyday of ambrotypes in the United States was brief, from 1854 to 1865, when uncased tintypes took over. Since early tintypes were also cased in the same way as daguerreotypes and ambrotypes, and because ambrotypes and tintypes look quite similar because they use the same collodion and silver solution to expose the photograph, ambrotype collectors will sometimes place a magnet on a cased photo—if it stays put, then the image behind the glass is a tintype.

Tightly woven hair was often displyed in Morning Brooches. Short of a opening the locket to examine closer, it appears to be hair imho.

Natural hair will have a solid core and clear outer layer under magnification such as a microscope.

[vernon1959]

Thanks everyone, tons of great ideas.

I will try the magnet when I get home tonight.

The coloration?? I'm just not sure, the greenie things that showed up when I took the pics makes me think some kind of discoloration, yet it looks like perfect on her cheeks!

I agree the jewelry she wears is amazing.

There are very tiny screws that may allow me to remove the case that holds the hair/fabric. I know I have an eyeglass repair kit in the house somewhere, that should have a screwdriver that is small enough to work.

I'll report back with new info.

Thanks to everyone!

Pauline  

[authentic*vintage]

I think the cutout picture was once mounted on a card - someone cut it out to make the locket. I can see little paper threads where it was cut and has bent. Stress tears.scissor cuts and stress tears

[evelyb30]

Her hair and clothes say Civil War era, 1850s to 1860s. They hand tinted ambros and tintypes, so that's no help. I'm seeing greenies on the photo printed on metal, so she could be an ambro. I found one once that had been tinted, but you couldn't see it except in a photo of the photo, oddly enough. The cutout image may have been a "cabinet card"; they were printed on a thick cardboard and someone cut it out later.

[vernon1959]

Hiu authentic and evelyb,

It is magnetic, i have not had a chance to try and remove the screws.

I'm almost thinking of trying to clean the pic up a bit (the dreaded greenies!) if I can get it open-i'll have to read up and see if there is a "safe" way to this without destroying the image.

[evelyb30]

If those are greenies and not just dust, the image under them is already gone. It looks pretty well old and "dead" so I'd leave bad enough alone. There might however be a name in there somewhere, which would be neat.

[vernon1959]

Hi Evelby,

I was kind if thinking the same thing & I haven't found anything yet on if you can clean these. I really need to sit down and go over this with a loupe and maybe get a peek behind the pics to see if there is an inscription.