Antique Well Loved Red and Yellow Oil Cloth Carnival / Juggling Ball handmade stuffed cat but first the box

but first the box

It is a ninth plate ambrotype

) A mix of black and blue ink

Here I assume it is the mother's hand and arm at upper left

A little minor paint loss

Antique Well Loved Red and Yellow Oil Cloth Carnival / Juggling Ball handmade stuffed cat but first the boxI've had just a couple of these old oil cloth balls over the years, and know they're pretty hard to come by. I've seem them described both as toy balls for children and as carnival or juggling balls I'm not entirely sure which is the case, but I think they're gorgeous and the softened but radiant well worn red and yellow on this one especially so. Clearly, its been well used and loved, with, it looks to me, one seam re sewn many years ago. All the