This photo is of the parents of Oliver Alexander; we're not yet sure of their names. Oliver's mother was American Indian, from Canada.
This image was scanned from a copy of the original; we don't currently know what sort of photo the original was. The back of the photo states "taken sometime during the 1800's." At their feet one can see what looks like grass, suggesting that the photo was taken out-of-doors in front of a "set" intended to look like an indoor setting; behind them is a painted backdrop. The use of props on which these two rest indicates that the photo was taken as a time exposure; the props were meant to help the subjects keep from moving during the photograph. All this would be consistent with early photographic techniques. Manipulation of the image (increasing the "gamma correction" to 2.5 or 3.0, if you want to try this yourself) shows that Oliver's mother is wearing a pin on her left side; it looks something like a script, capital "B" on an angle.
