Spectacular 1/6th Plate Post-Mortem Ambrotype Photo of John Whaley, Died 1856, With Bonus Ambrotype of His Wife 20240718 The mask was intended to

The mask was intended to protect the user against ammonia poisoning

Dimensions: 4" L x 4" W x 7

so this machete may have come from a Spanish-speaking market

" The interior edge of the tray reads

Spectacular 1/6th Plate Post-Mortem Ambrotype Photo of John Whaley, Died 1856, With Bonus Ambrotype of His Wife 20240718 The mask was intended toWhen I went to look behind this ambrotype post mortem, I found that the backing being used was a ruby ambrotype of a woman, flipped backwards. Paper clippings with the photos identity the couple, presumably, as John Whaley (Died 1856) and wife Mary Brown Whaley (Died 1890), Parents of Robert H. Whaley.