“Sure, you can make me wear the fancy suit. But you can’t make me smile about it.”

Within the collections at the Clements, numerous unidentified images are distributed, igniting a multitude of questions. These questions often revolve around the subjects of these images, the exact time they were captured, and the occasion they depict

Ambrotypes reached the height of their popularity during the mid-1850s to the mid-1860s. An ambrotype consists of an underexposed glass negative positioned against a dark backdrop. This dark backing material gives rise to a positive image. The sixth-plate, sometimes referred to as the “bon-ton,” stands as the most prevalent size, measuring approximately 2½” × 3½”.