Brooch with two collodion positive portraits

Brooch with two oval collodion positive portraits, head and shoulders of a woman wearing a lace collar and a young man. In a swivel mount in frame with leaf and twig motif. Brooch pin with ring for hanging.

This brooch contains two collodion positive (otherwise known as ambrotype) portraits, of a man and a woman. Photographic jewellery was popular in the nineteenth century, continuing the tradition of decorative painted portrait miniatures. Photographic negatives could be set onto a variety of decorative surfaces, creating a market for portable and photographic wares.