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Rare 100% Identified 1879 Victorian Leather Presentation Photo Album – Fox & Christman Families (Saginaw/Freeland, Michigan)
Item Overview: Up for sale is an absolute genealogical goldmine: a completely intact, fully identified Victorian-era leather-bound photo album dating precisely to 1879. This album serves as a historical marriage presentation piece from the prominent Midwestern Fox and Christman families of Michigan. The brass side clasp is beautifully and professionally engraved: "Presented by FAF to MEC" — representing the groom, Frederick "Fred" Adam Fox, presenting the album to his bride, Mary Ella Christman, for their wedding in 1879. Unlike 95% of Victorian albums on the market, every single portrait inside this album is handwritten and labeled, making it an invaluable piece of documented American history.
Historical Significance & Lineage:The Union: Frederick Adam Fox (son of German immigrants John & Dorothea Fox) married Mary Ella Christman (daughter of Philip & Catherine Christman) in 1879.Location Roots: Deeply tied to Saginaw County, Freeland, and Tittabawassee Township, Michigan.
Contents: The album is completely full of original, authentic 19th-century tintypes depicting the bride, groom, parents, siblings, and extended family members at the absolute peak of the tintype era.
Condition Report: Cover & Spine: Authentic mid-to-late 19th-century tooled/embossed brown leather. Shows beautiful, honest age-related shelf wear, scuffing, and rubbing along the corners and spine consistent with an antique of this age (please see photos).
Hardware: The original engraved brass closure clasp is fully intact, functional, and securely attached.
Interior Pages: Heavy Victorian cardstock windows. The original handwritten identification labels remain completely legible.Photographs: Tintypes are securely housed in their slots. Images retain strong contrast and clarity typical of well-preserved iron plate photography from the late 1870s.
