Union case (leeg) c. 1856

This is a daguerreotype case by Samuel Peck, likely made around the 1850s in the United States, a period marked by rapid industrialization and growing social stratification. These cases, often called "Union cases", offered protection and display for early photographs. The mass production of these cases reflects a burgeoning consumer culture, with specialized industries catering to the growing middle class. Cases like these often displayed patriotic or sentimental imagery. The imagery held within these cases often reinforced social norms, such as idealized family structures or national pride. While seemingly simple, the case is a window into the social values and economic forces that shaped everyday life. Historians use census records, trade directories, and period advertisements to trace the networks of production and consumption that gave objects like this their meaning. Understanding such objects relies on understanding their original social and institutional contexts.