Magical Hand-colored Sixth Plate Ruby Ambrotype of PA Folk Art Identified Portrait Painting cast graphite hand and an original Nickel Plate

and an original Nickel Plate Road logo sticker on the opposite side

where the paint has worn away

(Deborah holds a Master's Degree in French Literature from The University of Oregon and Jim is a graduate of Notre Dame University's Great Books Program

I am completely taken with this antique cyanotype--formally

Magical Hand-colored Sixth Plate Ruby Ambrotype of PA Folk Art Identified Portrait Painting cast graphite hand and an original Nickel PlateCompletely wonderful and really quite magical feeling, this is a mid 19th c. hand colored ruby ambrotype of a portrait painting, the subject of which a handwritten note on the inside of the case identifies as a young Sarah Ann Sheibley, painted by her school teacher at the Sheaffer School: a Samuel Weidler Jr. A bit of searching turns up a several Sarah A. Sheibleys of Pennsylvania, and a few Weidlers who were teachers, and I believe the Sheaffer