Full case half plate ambrotype

Today Id like to share this recent purchase with you all.

A wonderful full case half plate ambrotype. When it arrived I was very disappointed to see it had been damaged in transport, luckily it was just the cover glass.

I took the opportunity to remove the plate and give it a good clean. I should have taken a pic before I put a cloth over it as it was covered in what looked like a coating of very fine sawdust. You can now see so much more in the details. Oh and I took the time to digitise it properly, the look on their faces in this crop really makes you question what’s going on?

I don’t normally remove plates from their cases and frames if they look to be in the original untampered mounts. A conservator friend of mine, April, suggests any untrained attempt at cleaning would be foolish.

The outer case has cleaned up well. What do you think? Take a good look.