Daguerreotype Velvet Frames

Last Spring, my family enjoyed a visit to the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Museum in Springfield, Missouri. I could not take enough photos of the dozens of framed Civil War daguerreotypes in the cases, which was no easy task as flash photography was not allowed.The photographic technique in itself is quite interesting, but I was very interested in the framework as well.They were small, folded leather-bound cases gilded with golden foil-like matting and velvet embossings (or debossing, technically) opposite the image.
This beautiful craft of yesteryear was what spurred me into action on this previous post of embossing velvet {LINK}.All the while, I knew I wanted to find the perfect rubber stamp to create my own velvet embossing to frame. So for months I kept on the lookout for a large, ornate stamp, which I eventually found at a flea market, to use with store bought velvet. I also added a center stamp from one I had in my collection.Here is an online tutorial on embossing velvet: {LINK}I found a frame that was similar to the style of the antique daguerreotypes at the Goodwill for $1. Another good day at the flea, I discovered a beautiful leather framed daguerreotype for only $20, in such great condition with beautiful golden velvet, would normally run close to $100, it’s shown in the last photo as well as in the image at the beginning of this post.
I scanned a photo of my great grandfather and touched up the image just a bit.