A tintype is a direct positive with a lacquered iron support, collodion binder layer, and silver image layer. Tintypes are most commonly found in the carte-de-visite size (approx. 2 ½” × 4″ to 4 ¼” ), although they were also produced in smaller sizes. Most tintypes can be thought of as an underexposed image having low contrast and limited tonal range. The varnished (with black/brown paint, lacquer, or
enamel) iron support shows through in dark areas, where silver image particles are few. The image is basically a silver negative set against this background, bringing out highlights comprised of silver particle concentrations that appear milky-white. Tintypes were occasionally placed in small hinged cases but were more typically inserted into folding cards or envelopes/window mats made of paper or metal; today they will mostly be loose. Cased tintypes may be difficult to distinguish from cased ambrotypes. Weight can help to differentiate, but a magnet may be used to conclusively identify the tintype’s iron support.
Tintypes are direct image formats are unique, developed directly onto support material with no separate negative. Tintypes were commonly produced from 1853 to the 1930s. They are made using a process similar to the ambrotype but feature a lacquered iron support in place of glass with an opaque backing. Owing to their material resilience and ease of processing, tintypes superseded ambrotypes in the most corners, yet they were still considered lower class photography. Tintypes were often in use by photographers producing fast, cheap portraits on the street or at public fairs. Tintypes are most associated with the American Civil War as they were at their most popular during this time and were used to document its battle sites and soldiers.
The tintype photograph saw more uses and captured a wider variety of settings and subjects than any other photographic type of the period. It was introduced while the daguerreotype was still popular, though its primary competition would have been the ambrotype. The tintype saw the Civil War come and go, documenting the individual soldier and horrific battle scenes. It captured scenes from the Wild West, as it was easy to produce by itinerant photographers working out of covered wagons.
Sixth plates are named this way because the standard size tin plate would be cut into 6 pieces and an image put on each. 6th Plate or “Bon-ton” (the tin plate was cut into 6 equal pieces). This is detail from the image. Probably dating from 1853-1863. The most significant preservation risk to tintypes is exposure to water and high humidity, which will lead to oxidation and rusting.
This in turn will cause blistering, flaking, and total loss of the image emulsion layer. If placed on a secondary paper support or in a sleeve, rust stains may show on its back side. A tintype found today will likely be found loose and is often therefore dented, bent, or scratched up. The collodion binder and varnishes are sensitive to light; they will yellow and delaminate under intense light exposure.
Common Size(s) Varied, sizes listed are approximations. The sixth-plate (or “bon-ton”) is the most common, measuring about 2½” × 3½”. A quarter-plate is roughly 3¼” × 4¼”. Gem tintypes are 1½” × 1½” or smaller. Additional sizes include the ninth-plate (2″ × 2½”), half-plate (4½” × 5½”), and whole-plate (6½” × 8½”). The images shared in this article are all sixth plate tin types.
A sixth-plate tintype from a San Francisco photographers studio – two girls in front of a painted background of the Cliff House and Seal Rocks in San Francisco, circa 1900. Note the Newfoundland cut-out used to add depth to the painted background. (image shared from Gawain Weaver Art Conservation)
Sources:
Tintype Photography: The Vintage Photo Technique That’s Making a Comeback
STANLEY B. BURNS, Forgotten Marriage: The Painted Tintype & the Decorative Frame, 1860–1910: A Lost Chapter in American Portraiture (1995); FLOYD RINHART, MARION RINHART, and ROBERT W. WAGNER, The American Tintype (1999).
Ambrotypes and Tintypes – Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs Library of Congress