Family Portraits in Berg 'Going to the Well' Case, c. 1855-1865

This scarce Berg thermoplastic photographic case, featuring the relief design Going to the Well, contains five portraits of a family: two ninth-plate photographs and three sixteenth-plate photographs. The portraits include one ambrotype, one daguerreotype, and three tintypes, depicting a man, woman, and three children. The photographs were likely taken at different times, as suggested by the three distinct photographic processes, and subsequently assembled into this case designed specifically to accommodate five portraits.

Introduced in the 1850s, thermoplastic photographic cases, commonly known as Union cases, provided an alternative to traditional leather-covered wooden cases. Their molded surfaces featured elaborate decorative designs, including historical subjects, allegorical figures, and scenes of everyday life. Multi-image cases were particularly suited to preserving family portraits together, creating a photographic record of family relationships and successive generations. This scarce Berg case, catalogued as I-16, is an unusual example of nineteenth-century photographic presentation and family commemoration.

Berg I-16, scarce.

Photographer: Unknown

Format: Daguerreotype, ambrotype, and tintypes

Size: Two ninth-plate and three sixteenth-plate photographs; case 4 × 5½ inches

Condition: Very good