RARE ~ Antique Mammoth TRAVELING AMBROTYPE SALOON ADVERTISING Copper Frame/Stand

Description

RARE ~ Antique Mammoth TRAVELING AMBROTYPE SALOON ADVERTISING Copper Frame/Stand. Lists S.J. Atkinson as Proprietor. Size- 2" x 2.5". Condition: There is oxidation to the frame and associated and expected vintage wear from age/use. The stand appears to have been attatched by sewing at some later point. Cleaning left to owner discretion. In pictures I have placed advertising frame in a "modern" display stand which is NOT original with piece nor will it convey with item. The original stand is on reverse.
The Traveling Ambrotype Saloon was a small, trailer-like building which was a traveling photographic studio, as suggested by the words “Ambrotype Saloon,” Common in the mid-19th century, during the early years of commercial photography, these horse-drawn studios – known as saloons – traveled across the countryside in search of business. They were often built by the photographers themselves, and they frequently served as both a workplace and living quarters for their nomadic owners.  A 1917 article in The Youth’s Companion, written by C. A. Stevens, provides the following description:
Those “saloons” were picturesque little structures, not much more than five feet wide by fifteen feet long; they were mounted on wheels. On each side was a little window, and overhead was a larger skylight; and a flight of three steps led up to a narrow door at the rear. The door opened into the “saloon” proper, where the camera and the visitor’s chair stood; forward of that was the cuddy under the skylight, in which the photographer did his developing.
We have never seen an advertising this rare. On reverse, a stand is attached. Please consult all photos carefully. I am not an expert in ambrotypes, but have described and depicted to the best of my ability. Excellent, historical item for collector or enthusiast.