Victorian Artifacts & Historic Relics

A daguerreotype produces a highly detailed image on a silver-coated metal plate, while an ambrotype uses a glass plate that appears positive when placed against a dark background. Both forms of Victorian photography were commonly protected inside decorative cases.

A Victorian medicine chest provided organized storage for bottles, remedies, measuring tools, and other medical supplies. These portable chests were used in homes, by physicians, and during travel when professional medical assistance was not always immediately available.

Antique brass microscopes were used to study plants, insects, minerals, prepared slides, and biological specimens. During the 19th century, microscopy became increasingly important to medicine, natural history, scientific education, and amateur investigation.

A warded lock contains fixed internal barriers called wards. Its key is shaped to pass around those barriers and operate the locking mechanism. The long, narrow form associated with many antique warded-lock keys led to the familiar term skeleton key.