This is the third article in a series looking at historic artifacts that are in the care of the town historian.

Newtown Historian Dan Cruson has become a magnet for historical items finding him over the years. Items frequently get dropped off to his office with no indication of who they are from.

This is the case for how Mr Cruson acquired an impressive collection of old post mortem photographs, all in great condition. Post mortem pictures differ from typical images that we are used to today, because its subjects are deceased. The models are purposefully and respectfully posed, and the image is taken by a professional photographer.

"I walked in one day and they were on my desk, donated anonymously," said Mr Cruson.

None of the images identified an owner or the family's name of the person photographed. Mr Cruson believes that the snapshots were from a collector who accumulated the photos over time and were not various members from one family.

Most of the delicate images in the set were done in a form of photography called "daguerreotype," which is made of a silvered copper plate. A silver wash is set down on a copper plate to create a mirrored finish.

Originating in about 1839, Mr Cruson said, "It was among one of the first commercial photography to be done in the United States."

The image is actually a negative, and only becomes positive when it is held up to the light with a black background. Further prints of the photo cannot be made.

This style of post mortem photography is becoming extremely valuable, with some worth over $100.

The cases the photos come in are collectible, as well. The daguerreotype is set in a bifold case that has velvet set on one side. The backing of the case is press paper glued to a board, but it is meant to simulate leather. It is embellished with detailed patterns.

The Woman

Mr Cruson's first featured image is a post mortem photograph of a woman wearing a hat. He believes it is among one of the earliest dating daguerreotypes, most likely taken in the mid-1840s, as indicated by the relatively plain matte around the outside.

Mr Cruson explained, "The problem with the image is it would smudge; if you were to run your finger over the raw plate [the image] would disappear."

To prevent that from happening they sandwiched them between a piece of glass and a brass piece holding it together.

Upon opening the back casing from the photo, however, Mr Cruson revealed what looked like masking tape.

"It's actually paper tape soaked in starch," He explained.

A lot of time and detail was put in to presenting these photos in the best way possible, because for many cases - as it is believed for this image - it would be given to close family members.

"This would record the death and would be sent to relatives who probably could not come to the funeral," Mr Cruson said.

The Boy

The image of a deceased boy laying with flowers in his hand is believed to be pre-Civil War, most likely taken in the 1850s.

Post mortem daguerreotypes were commonly used to create portraits of children. It was so popular because many times the family did not have any other photos of the child.

Mr Cruson elaborated, "It was very difficult to get child photographs under the age of about 5 or 6. Exposure times were about ten seconds minimum and very often longer - you can't get a kid to stand still that long."

The Mother And Child

One of the most powerful images in Mr Cruson's collection of post mortem photographs is the image of a mother holding her deceased baby.

He estimates the image dates back to the 1840s and is one of the earliest types of "ambrotype."

"The ambrotype was done on a glass plate, rather than a silver plate," Mr Cruson said. "It is the same type of photograph, but what they did is paint the back of the glass plate black, so that it supplied the black that you need to make it turn positive."

Despite being more than 150 years old, the picture is not faded.

Mr Cruson also explained the context of the image might not have been as dark as we perceive it to be today.

"You have to remember that death during that time period was different than how we treat it today. It was much more common, and it was something everyone was familiar with," said Mr Cruson. "You're looking into the past, but also a different mind set and different culture."