Genealogists
often have old family photos in their possession or they find some in
Great Aunt Matilda's attic. But how do we know when the photograph was
taken? One method is to determine what type of photograph it is. Photography arrived in the United States in 1839 thanks to Samuel F. B. Morse, an American artist and inventor.The earliest type is the Daguerreotype. Ambrotypes followed, coming into use circa 1854. By 1855 Tinytypes had begun to replace Ambrotypes
Tintypes (circa 1855)
The Ferrotype process (tintypes) was introduced in the United States in 1855. It substituted an iron plate for glass and was even cheaper than the ambrotype. Because tintypes were placed in albums along with CDVs, they were often trimmed at the sides and corners.Tintypes were produced in various sizes
- Full plate 6 1/2" x 8 1/2"
- Half plate 4 1/2" x 51/2"
- 1/4 plate 3 1/8" x 4 1/8"
- 1/6 plate 2 1/2" x 3 1/2"
- 1/9 plate 2" x 2 ½"
- Gem approximately 1/2" x 1"
Gem Tintype
9th plate Tintype
Watch my video on Five Types of Early 19th Century Photographs
Read more about Tintypes on Lost Faces website
