Magical Hand-colored Sixth Plate Ruby Ambrotype of PA Folk Art Identified Portrait Painting cast graphite hand it has since been taped

it has since been taped in a few places on the reverse side to hold it together

pretty minor and without structural impact

2 15/16" diameter at base

(Deborah holds a Master's Degree in French Literature from The University of Oregon and Jim is a graduate of Notre Dame University's Great Books Program

and to that little whiskered mole or shrew

Magical Hand-colored Sixth Plate Ruby Ambrotype of PA Folk Art Identified Portrait Painting cast graphite hand it has since been tapedCompletely wonderful and really quite magical feeling, this is a mid 19th c. hand colored ruby ambrotype of a portrait painting, the subject of which a handwritten note on the inside of the case identifies as a young Sarah Ann Sheibley, painted by her school teacher at the Sheaffer School: a Samuel Weidler Jr. A bit of searching turns up a several Sarah A. Sheibleys of Pennsylvania, and a few Weidlers who were teachers, and I believe the Sheaffer