History of Tintype Portraits

Tintype photography falls between the invention of the daguerreotype in 1833 and the introduction of rolled film in 1888. In the mid-19th century, the tintype provided an inexpensive technology for the masses to capture their loved ones on film. Tintypes were wildly popular for just a few decades, but remained in use until the 1950s.

A tintype -- also known as a ferrotype -- is an image produced on a thin metallic sheet that is not actually tin but coated iron. The name "tintype" may refer to the tin snips used to cut the sheets apart. Or the name may have generically referred to a cheap metal -- anything other than silver. A tintype is a form of ambrotype, which is an under-exposed negative that appears as a positive image when placed on top of a dark background. Tintypes were a major step forward from glass plate negatives, which were fragile and more time-consuming to produce.

Adolphe Alexandre Martin of France invented the tintype process in 1853. Tintypes were extremely popular among Civil War soldiers, who loved to have their pictures taken in uniform to send back home. Tintypes were also commonly used to photograph the dead, a practice that was popular throughout the 19th century. Itinerant photographers would make tintypes from their tents or horse-drawn wagons. Town photographers used them in their photo parlors.

To create a tintype, the photographer coated the metal plate in collodion or gelatin and other chemicals. He would allow the plate to dry until it just became tacky. Next he dipped the plate into silver nitrate. The photographer had to take the picture before the plate dried completely. It took about five seconds of exposure, so photographers often provided a headrest for portrait sittings to help the subject remain still. The tintype was then mounted and coated with varnish before being presented to the customer. The image on a tintype appears "backward" because it is a negative. Objects held in the right hand appear to be held in the left, as if looking into a mirror.

Tintypes were sturdier than ambrotypes, so they could be mailed or mounted in an album, yet they were thin enough to be cut into smaller shapes for brooches or lockets. Tintypes were also less expensive to produce than other technologies available at the time, making them more affordable for the working class. "Do you want to discover digital photography methods that carry experienced photographers to where they are today? Well, The Top Secret Photography Techniques might help you out in doing so. To find amazing photos we primary need to have to look at some imperative photography techniques. The preliminary one I am able to share with you is figure out about light. You can discover everything regarding photography techniques on , The Top Secret Photography Techniques. Each time you find out about light and in what approach it interacts with the direct environment then your photographs will get better..". Before tintypes, only the wealthy were able to create images of their cherished friends and loved ones.

Tintypes were typically produced in a size known as "carte-de-visite" which was 2 inches wide and 3 inches tall. Larger and smaller sizes were also produced. A tiny postage stamp size called "Little Gem" was also popular.

Gelatin emulsion dry plates began to replace the tintype in the 1880s. However, the process was still used by some photographers until the 1950s. Later, Polaroid instant film and 35mm film completely transformed the photography industry, and the tintype was no longer used.

Antique Tintype Photographs - Collector Information Collectors ...
www.collectorsweekly.com/photographs/tintypes
While most early photo processes involved paper or light metal plates, tintypes (aka ferrotypes) used a sheet of thin iron. Patented in 1856...
Flickr: The Hidden Mother : Tintypes and Cabinets Pool
www.flickr.com/groups/1264520@N21/pool
All about those wonderful and Unique Hidden Mother Images of yesteryear. This was a practice where the mother...often disguised or hiding often under a spread...holds ...
History of Photography Timeline - photo.net
photo.net Learn About Photography
A capsule history of photography, from the camera obscura to the digital SLR
The American Museum of Photography: Resources
www.photographymuseum.com/primer.html
A PRIMER ON PROCESSES. Photographers in the nineteenth century employed a wide variety of materials and processes; everything from honey to ...
Chandler Tintype History Detectives PBS
www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigation/chandler-tintype
The Case: For the first time History Detectives teams up with Antiques Roadshow to trace the story behind two people in a fascinating photograph.
How to Price Tintypes eHow
www.ehow.com Hobbies, Games & Toys Hobbies Antiquing
Tintype photographs, introduced in the 1850s, enjoyed tremendous popularity for over 50 years. They provided a cheaper, faster alternative to daguerreotypes because ...
History of 19th Century Photography
www.phototree.com/history.htm
Daguerreotype: 1839 - History Begins. 1839 is recognized as the dawn of photographic history, even though many people were working on various techniques for nearly 30 ...
All about genealogy and family history - Tintype - Ancestry.com
www.ancestry.com/wiki/index.php?title=Tintype
Jul 17, 2012 Tintype: a cheaper way to print photographs, by developing them on a sheet of tin or iron -gives the photo a cheaper, lower-quality look ...
Flickr: Photo_History - Here but not Happy's Photostream
www.flickr.com/photos/20939975@N04
This Day in History, June 14, 1777 - Flag Day Established - Two Little Girls with American Flags - Real Photo Postcard
TINTYPE PHOTOS eBay - Electronics, Cars, Fashion,
www.ebay.com/gds/TINTYPE-PHOTOS/10000000003870236/g.html
You can find them in the Antique Photography search on Ebay, but what is a TINTYPE? Tintype images appeared on the scene in the mid 1850s, and remained popular until ...