A child’s steady gaze and a woman’s softly faded portrait survive in these two antique photo brooches. Twisted-rope borders frame the oval and round images, their warm gold-tone surfaces retaining the patina of age.
Dating to approximately 1880–1910, these personal keepsakes hold their original portraits: a tintype of the child and what appears to be a paper photograph of the woman. Her image sits beneath a smooth, domed clear cover, possibly celluloid. The latter materials remain unconfirmed, as the brooch has been left intact. Offered together, the portraits have no known family connection.
- Two antique portrait brooches, circa 1880–1910
- Gold-tone metal with twisted-rope borders
- Oval child’s tintype: 1 1/2 × 1 1/4 inches (38 × 32 mm)
- Round woman’s portrait: 1 3/16 inches (30 mm) across
- Combined weight: 10.7 grams
- Pin stems with simple C clasps
- Good antique condition with aged metal surfaces and image fading/discoloration, more pronounced on the woman’s portrait.