Beautiful 1850s Daguerreotype in Decorative Union Case Watch Fob The practice of using coffin

The practice of using coffin plates peaked between 1880 and 1899 before falling out of favor

Henry Ford loved them so much that he mass produced them and offered them in his parts department

Dangling from the hook are a series of chains suspending varied household tools

The poison label has some blemishes from age and use

Beautiful 1850s Daguerreotype in Decorative Union Case Watch Fob The practice of using coffinInvented in 1839 by Louis Daguerre, daguerreotypes were the favorite form of printed portraits throughout the 1840s and 1850s. Daguerreotypes are silver plated copper, almost mirror like plates, that are painted with light sensitive chemicals. After an image is exposed on a plate it is treated with mercury to reveal the image. It is then fixed to remove its light sensitivity and often sealed behind glass in a union frame or brooch to protect it.