Though it has long gone out of fashion, there are still a few photographers that utilize the method. Tintypes have perhaps enjoyed more popularity than any other type of photographic medium in history. The process was originally developed and introduced by Adolphe Alexandre Martin in Paris, where it initially competed with and slowly began to replace the much more delicate (and expensive) Daguerreotype and Ambrotype Photographic Processes.
The American Civil War can be credited for a boom in the popularity of Tintypes, especially earlier in the war as Soldiers found it a cheaper and a more durable option to capture an image of themselves to send home to loved ones. The Carte de Visite, a photographic process using paper mounted on card stock would also see similar success as a result of the war. The Carte de Visite would also coexist in popularity with the Tintype throughout the duration of the 19th century.
Tintypes could be made in various sizes, from Full Plate, which measured roughly six and a half by eight and a half inches, all the way down to Gem size which were little more than a half inch square. Some cameras would, however, permit the use of much larger plates than the standard “full plate” size.
During the Civil War and later, it became quite popular to “overpaint” on tint Tintypes. Usually done with full plate images, a photographer’s studio would take a fully developed Tintype and apply paints over top of the original image to add color. This could be done sparingly, or the entire image could be painted over, giving it the appearance of an oil painting. Such images were often mounted in elaborate mat boards and placed in highly decorative frames.
Tintypes would remain popular well into the early 20th century. Traveling Photographers in their wagons would attend carnivals and fairs offering photos to visitors, often providing costumes and interesting backdrops to create an artful memory of the event. The Tintype is also the medium that captured many of the famous images from the “Wild West” such as the legendary photo of Billy the Kid.
It would not be until the early 20th century when cameras became cheaper, and many families would own one of their own that the tintype would become an almost forgotten method, however, there are still many who still use the process to create images today. In a digital age of pixels nothing can beat the quality of these earlier images.
