Calling All History Detectives!

I recently purchased an ambrotype of an 1850's teenager. The case in which it came was unremarkable, but the ambrotype was in fine condition, and the earnest young face was appealing — a blank clean slate, if I ever saw one!

Isn't that vest great?

There was a piece of paper in the case that was so faded that at first, I didn't even realize that there was writing on it. So I opened this image in Adobe PhotoShop and played around with filters, trying to accentuate the handwriting and fade the background.

At first it looked like it might read "E_______ L," but I wasn't sure. Some more work, and then I came up with this:

I believe that the young man's name is written on two lines and that "Stewart" is his first name. But what is the rest of the inscription? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

After mulling it over with a cup of coffee, contributer Carol P. suggested that I scan the inscription with a higher dpi (dots per inch).  Exhibit D is the result, scanned at 1200dpi (or four times more detailed than the original scan).  Now can you decipher it?

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Happy New Year!

For a number of years, I've been collecting daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes. Along the way, I've also become infatuated with their gutta percha cases, also known as union cases. I'm starting the new year by bringing you the collection on three separate pages. You'll find them in the right-hand column under the camera header.

I hope you can set some time aside to visit the collection, and that viewing it brings you as much pleasure as collecting it has brought me. Happy New Year!