A particularly dark and moody potrait of two young sisters in the 1800's, in the surviving half of an intricate leather bound case. While the case itself is rather light, the portrait, due to the limitations of the time, is surprisingly weighty. 

Deguerreotype portraits were some of the first more widely available photography options developed, rapidly spreading throughout France and beyond. They were quickly innovated upon, resulting in the lighter and even more widespread Ambrotype, and eventually the iconic Tintype or Ferrotype portraits at the turn of the century.