This is an original image case that was designed to hold an image. These are the style case that are made of a thermoplastic material that is better known as a "Gutta Percha" case. They are high quality cases that held the best images of the Civil War era. It will hold the tintype style image as well as an ambrotype or Daguerreotype. It still has the maker's marking from the Littlefield Parsons & Company as well as the 1856 and 1857 patent dates on the paper label. This one is the size known to collectors as the quarter plate image. This means that the image measures approximately 4.25 inches by 3.25 inches in size. On the sides of the case it has the design that is known as case #49, 'Vase of Flowers,' idesign case in the wonderful 1988 copy-written book entitled Union Cases; A Collector's Guide to the Art of America's First Plastics by Krainik, Krainik, and Walvoord. This is a great case for your collection and is open for your image.
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