In the 19th century, getting your picture taken was a special occasion, as it was expensive and you had to pose very still for uncomfortable lengths of time. Therefore it was rare for people to have had their portraits taken more than once in their lifetime. In America, during the early 1850's, the introduction of the ambrotype made photographs more affordable and more accessible than daguerreotypes, an older and more expensive process on silver-copper plates.

Often these fragile photographs were kept in tiny decorated cases with embossed metal frames. You could carry the cases around or leave them open on a shelf or table. Most of these photographs were not reproduced, so each image we find from the period is unique and may be the only such image of the person depicted.