Featured Pastel / Charcoal on Fiberboard?

Hi! Couple of questions about this framed portrait I picked up at a garage sale for two bucks. I bought it for the back board I can use on currently unframed paintings once they find a home. I'm guessing it dates from late 1800's but I didn't find any inscriptions or newspapers when I took her out of the frame.
Is the portrait charcoal or pastel and how canI tell? Is it possibly a photo printed on some kind of fiber board?
Would this have been considered an expensive frame back in the day? It's built up of several parts: the outer most was silver colored at one point (now black), then gold (not gilded) vine entwined log, velvet, and finally gold colored linked rings.
The frame components look to be plaster over wood. Is this the most likely composition?
Can the velvet or nails be used to date the frame?
Well, that's enough for now, any comments / education is appreciated!

 

I think it's what's' referred to as a Crayon Portrait. Photographers would enlarge a photograph directly onto a drawing paper using an emulsion technique. It would lay down a weak image and then they'd go in with charcoal or pastels. I believe it was done for a couple of reasons: enlarging photos and having them come out nice was very expensive at the time, and depending on the skill of the photographer/artist, you could really make them look like it was totally hand drawn. Some of them are pretty bad. However, this one is rather well done.

Done between 1860s to early 20th century. I am not one to date this piece.

 

Oh my, she is one cranky looking individual

 

Maybe she was one of the unfortunate women who had 22 children? Or maybe she was just born cranky like my paternal grandmother.

 

I wonder if the photographer / artist was afraid of her reaction.

 

Yes, it is very nice. And appears to be in excellent condition, too!