While most early photo processes involved paper or light metal plates, tintypes (aka ferrotypes) used a sheet of thin iron. Patented in 1856, tintypes are recognizable by their yellowish color and small sizes. The smallest plates are called gem tintypes, and are common in lockets or jewelry. Like daguerreotypes, they tend to tarnish easily. This medium was popular for many years, due to its higher developing speed and easy-to-clip material, making it ideal for framing.

Interviews & Articles

19th-Century Photographs, from Daguerreotypes to Cartes de Visites

I’ve always been interested in antiques. As a kid, I collected a variety of stuff – fossils, rocks, minerals, natural history stuf… [more]

Daile Kaplan of Swann Auction Galleries on Collecting 20th Century Photographs

Swann, which is New York City’s oldest specialty auction house, was founded in the late 1940s as an antiquarian book house. In the… [more]

From Ambrotypes to Stereoviews, 150 Years of Photographs

We both come from families that had collections and we both had collections as children. Jack lost his when his grandmother threw … [more]


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