Three children sit together in this European quarter plate relievo ambrotype, probably French, circa 1855 to 1860, bordered by climbing roses hand painted directly on the glass. In the relievo method, black varnish was applied only behind the figures and the surrounding collodion scraped away, leaving the sitters on clear glass ahead of a separate ground. Here that ground is a backing paper colored as a blue sky, so the children and the painted flowers stand forward of it with a pronounced three-dimensional effect. Painted decoration on the glass itself is highly unusual, and this is one of the very few examples we have encountered.

An older boy at left wears a dark jacket with pale buttons, a white collar, and a blue bow, and holds a small flowering sprig. The youngest child, at center, wears an off-the-shoulder checked dress trimmed in lace, and a girl at right, in a blue dress with long ringlets, rests an arm around the child’s shoulders.

Pink roses and green foliage climb both sides and arch across the top of the glass, with the blue and cream sky set behind on the backing paper. The plate sits in a brown velvet mat with a gilt line border and a gilt inner bevel. No photographer’s imprint is visible.

Pebbled backing, with the edges bound in paper tape. Inscribed in pencil on the reverse: PAM 186.