Wonderful Antique Gem Tintype of Uncomfortable Looking Child with Mother's Hand bennington clean tear that runs vertically

clean tear that runs vertically from the bottom center-left edge

Early 20th century

A few weeks ago

which I think just adds to the appeal

4 3/4" t x 3 9/16 w (at base)

Wonderful Antique Gem Tintype of Uncomfortable Looking Child with Mother's Hand bennington clean tear that runs verticallyI love a gem tintype something much more precious feeling about tiny things and this portrait of a very expressive and uncomfortably positioned child, with the large hand of her semi hidden mother wrapped around her, is all the better for its gem scale. For me, it is the blur of the mother's cropped face at upper right (feeling all the more shadowy elusive to the naked eye) that really makes this, making the mother seem almost like a ghost or spirit,