Portrait of two unidentified women dressed in outerwear, London, Ontario

If you turn the card to a landscape position (horizontal) as opposed to its present portrait(vertical)position, you can just make out the embossed words "otters patent March 7 1865". The 5 in 1865 is not very distinct.

The inscription should actually read "Potters Patent March 7 1865".

The image (a Daguerreotype),with its domed area ,together with the embossed stars around the image, date this photo to the civil war period. The stars add a patriotic touch to the finished piece.

I have yet to find one that has a photographers name attached to it.

So this will probably never get solved as to who the ladies are as it was produced in the US and sent to Canada.

I suspect the glued paper on the back was added here in London.

I again would ask that when scanning, both the front and the back are scanned so that ALL and ANY details are shown and the interpretation of detail is not left to one individual's comments.

Thanks for this. "Potters Patent March 7 1865" was new to me. We will look into scanning on both sides, too.

I recently acquired an old chest which appears to be made from a packing crate. On the front is a paper label, approximately 8"x4", which reads "E. Beltz Hatter and Furrier No. 77 Dundas St. opposite the entrance to the market London C.W. Hats and caps made to order. Cash paid for raw furs". This page is the only reference to this business that I can find online and the date given for its existence helps me to narrow down the age of the box to circa 1859 to 1867. Sorry, I don't know who the ladies are. Thanks

Thanks for sharing this information. Very interesting.