Antique Polish Shadowbox

I once worked in a museum in Michigan that had two of these types of shadowboxes in their collection and I thought they were amazing! If you have a letter of authentication and which determins a provenance, then you have a very rare and unique piece! As you probably can tell, the framed materials are all hand made, being taken from things like the baby's christening gown, the mother's lace hankerchief, the father's cuff buttons, etc. Yours seems to be quite faded, but once would have been quite colorful, sometimes having dried flowers and hair jewlery or designs. The subject matter, including the train with the #90 is unique to that family's history and probable livelyhood, relating to the railroad somehow. Depending on what your letter says, this could tell a lot about, and reference important historical clues to either a person, region, or event. In any case, you would do well to take it to a professional conservator who could take it apart, clean it properly, repair or restore any damage, and reassemble it using UV protective glass to prevent any further damage. If it has a wood backing, that should be removed as well and be replaced with an acid-free foamcore backing. The frame could be restored as well if you so desired, but is not so important as protecting the unusual contents within. The shadowbox creations of the 1800's and early 1900's are unusual and rare things indeed and should be treated with care as many are quite fragile. Yours is a time capsule of someone's life and has a unique styling well worth maintaining. May you discover a fun story within the letter and through the process of having the piece conserved properly and may you enjoy being it's new caretaker!