antique 1870s tintype photo funny looking! but cute kid mother hidden by mat tinted and "Helen Merrell" written in

and "Helen Merrell" written in period ink on the back

though to me they look more like a little boy than girl

Photo #3 is a photo of the same farm that I found while researching

She is nicely dressed

but I would say he was probably a sea captain

antique 1870s tintype photo funny looking! but cute kid mother hidden by mat tinted and "Helen Merrell" written inOriginal 1870s tintype photo, funny looking little boy wearing a dress.. he was probably a bit scared. He's clearly seated in the lap of his mother or the photographer's assistant, but most of her face is hidden by the mat edge; judging from the size of the tintype on the back, I think quite a bit more of her face would be visible underneath the mat, but I didn't want to separate them. Mount is 4" x 2. 5". Tintype is in very good or better antique