Tintype

MFA Acc. #: 2002.337

Description

An inexpensive positive photograph made using a collodion emulsion on a black enameled tinplate. The process for making tintype, or ferrotype, photographs was patented in 1856 and used up to the 1940s. Tintype plates contained a thin layer of photoreactive collodion coated on a black lacquered iron sheet. They produced a direct positive image that was processed quickly and inexpensive. The images often had poor contrast levels ranging from a dull grays to creamy whites. Tintypes were typically pasted in paper cards with decorative embossed borders. They were called ferrotypes outside the USA.

Tintype

Synonyms and Related Terms

ferrotype; ferrotyping; melainotype; tin type (sp)

SEM

Hazards and Safety

Moisture may rust iron plate

Contact with smooth surfaces, such as glass or polyester, may cause shiny spots

Additional Images

• 

  Spectrum sample sites

• 

  Spectra

• 

  Tintype sample

• 

  Tintype

• 

  Tintype sample

• 

  Tintype sample

• 

  Tintype

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "Tintype." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2004. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. 29 Apr. 2004 .

• Luis Nadeau, Encyclopedia of Printing, Photographic, and Photomechanical Processes, Atelier, New Brunswick, 1997

• Caring for your Collections, Arthur W Schulz (ed.), Harry N. Abrams, Inc. , New York, 1992

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Website address 1 Comment: AMOL reCollections Glossary -http://amol.org.au/recollections/7/c/htm - synonym=melainotype