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from the group: Tintype

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Pre-photographic

Intaglio
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Tintype
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Notes on this view:

This tintype was made between 1864 and 1866 during the Civil War. The date is indicated by the presence of a revenue stamp on the back of the paper envelope. This plain, straightforward portrait is indicative of tintype portraiture during this era. The woman pictured has subtly hand-colored cheeks and wears what may be a widow's cap.

The tintype process, also known as ferrotype and less commonly as melainotype, is a variation of the collodion negative process and was patented in 1856. By the 1860s it had become a popular process, particularly during the Civil War. It was a relatively fast and inexpensive process and the sturdy iron support allowed for the objects to be easily carried and mailed. Tintypes were often placed in a paper mat, as seen here, in which the object was positioned in the window and secured with an adhesive paper on the back. Notice the printed, oval decorative border.