This is the earliest photograph that we have in our family photo archives. It is of my maternal grandfather's mother standing at her grandfathers knee. It's taken in London, England circa 1864. She's about 12 years old and the occasion is her coming to be her grandfather's housekeeper after the death of her grandmother. She looks a bit petrified.
The image was originally an ambrotype. The glass negative was underexposed in processing and then laid against a matte black background. This then would cause the image to go from negative to positive. The original glass plate was also hand painted. The details on her scarf were coloured as well as a tint added to both faces.
He was a well-known brick contractor in London and he built many of the railroad viaducts in London and the surrounding region.
I mention the "original" glass plate in passing. It unfortunately was dropped and smashed but not before I was able to get a copy of the image.
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