I came across this tintype of a lovely young couple on etsy. I immediately recognized the name scrawled on the pale pink paper frame…Fayette Selleck. It took me a few minutes to realize why that name was familiar but I soon put it all together.
Fayette was the husband of Sarah A. Thomas of Glens Falls, New York. If you follow my blog you may remember my recent post about an ambrotype I’d purchased online with identifying writing in the case. I was pondering whether or not the photo was original to that case.
When I purchased this tintype I didn’t believe it was definitive proof of Sarah’s true identity because I only knew about Fayette’s name. He might have posed for this portrait with his sister. But when it arrived I discovered it was a tintype in a frame inside another frame!
This writing on the back of the smaller frame is proof that this sitter is the true Sarah A. Thomas, wife of Fayette Selleck. I’ve updated Sarah’s find a grave page, as well as adding the photo to Fayette’s memorial.
I was so curious about where the etsy shop owern got the tintype. It turns out they purchased it from the same person who sold me the ambrotype.
Mystery solved!
the rescued photo 
Fayette: That’s a name out of the past! He was a handsome guy but I’ll never understand the popularity of those chin beards! Nice that you were able to put it all together and solve the mystery.
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