A Gentle Hand (and Short Breeches!) 19th C. Ambrotype of 18th Century Painting in Half Case woman with long fingernails A little research tells me

A little research tells me that 500 is a trump taking game related to euchre and bridge

which pulls out easily through the tiny hole at the center of the lid

but here they are

There are notches carved into the exterior of the barrel that suggest string was indeed pulled tight around it

5 1/8" long x 1 1/2" wide x 2 7/8" tall

A Gentle Hand (and Short Breeches!) 19th C. Ambrotype of 18th Century Painting in Half Case woman with long fingernails A little research tells meI wish I knew more about this one an ambrotype, found in MA, of an earlier painting, which looks Revolutionary War era to me (and him a bit like John Adams!), at the center of which is the gesture of her hand on his cuff with painted gold wedding band on her finger though I must say it looks a bit to me like the fingers of her other hand, resting in her lap, are crossed! (And the gesture itself feels, perhaps cynically on my part, like a bit of a