[Young Girl Seated with Hand on Table]

One rare and interesting variant of the 19th-century ambrotype process—a photographic image on glass—is the relievo. With relievos, part of the image (usually the background behind a figure) is scraped away and the glass plate is placed in front of a different background, either photographic or decorative. In this case, the new background is decorative stamped metal, creating a distinctive effect for an otherwise ordinary portrait.