Daguerreotype of G. Helen Maynard Metcalf in case

Gloriana Helen Maynard Metcalf (b. 1836, d. 1927) is pictured in this daguerreotype which appears to date to the late 1850's, around the time of her marriage. Helen was a daughter of early Worthington settler, Moses Maynard Jr. (b. 1792, d. 1862), who migrated to Worthington from Massachusetts along with his father, Moses Maynard Sr. (b. 1755, d. 1834). They owned and farmed land south of Worthington which extended to Clinton Township (current Morse Road area). Helen married William W. Metcalf (b. 1828) in 1859 in Worthington. They relocated to Washington D.C. Helen was the cousin of Mary Johnson, and niece of Orange and Achsa Maynard Johnson, and much of the Johnson family memorabilia was saved by her and passed along to her descendants before items came to the Worthington Historical Society collections.

According to the Library of Congress, a daguerreotype is an image on "a plate of copper, lightly coated with silver. After cleaning and polishing the plate, exposure to iodine vapors created a light-sensitive surface that looked like a mirror. The plate, held in a light proof holder, was then transferred to the camera and exposed to light. The plate was developed over hot mercury until an image appeared. To fix the image, the plate was immersed in a solution of sodium thiosulfate or salt and then toned with gold chloride."

The second image shows the outside of the ornate composition case that holds this daguerreotype, which is about the size of a ladies compact.