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Estate find.
**Rare Antique 1860s/1870s Gem Tintype Portrait - Traveling \"Ambrotype Car\" Backmark (Oshkosh, WI)**
Up for sale is a genuinely rare piece of early American photographic history. This is a miniature \"Gem\" tintype portrait of a bearded man, still housed in its original mini-window paper sleeve.
What makes this item incredibly special is the complete, crisp stamp on the reverse side:
\"FROM PERKINS\' Photograph and Ambrotype CAR. Opposite Washington Hall, OSHKOSH, WIS.\"
During the pioneer era of photography, itinerant photographers operated out of horse-drawn wagon \"cars\" equipped with custom skylights and mobile darkrooms. This backmark perfectly documents a traveling studio stop in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, parked right across from Washington Hall.
**Dated Patent Stamp:** The very bottom edge of the paper mount features the tiny, faint vintage imprint reading: \"PATENT APPLIED FOR\". This specific die-cut frame patent text securely anchors this photo to the early-to-mid 1860s (Civil War era), when the \"Gem\" format first exploded in popularity.
Measures 4 x 2.5 inches
