Historical Processes: Ambrotypes and Tintypes

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Historical Processes: Ambrotypes and Tintypes

Not since the 19th century has the tintype enjoyed the level of popularity to which it has risen today. Safer to create than the daguerreotype and more impressive to hold than paper prints, the tintype—and close relative, ambrotype—offer an attractive middle ground for photographers wanting to create unique photographic objects steeped in the medium’s history.

Ambrotypes are extensions of the wet collodion process invented by Frederick Scott Archer, in 1848. While Archer was the first to experiment with the technique, the American James Ambrose Cutting patented refinements of the process, in 1854, attaching his name to the process. Sometimes called a collodion positive, an ambrotype is created by intentionally underexposing a glass negative and placing it against a darkened background. The light gray image recorded on the glass plate has the visual effect of a positive when viewed against a darkened back. This can take the form of fabric, paper, or even lacquer painted onto the uncoated side of the plate.

Anonymous, Union Officer Standing at Attention, ambrotype, 1861-5
Peter Ralston, Man with Bucket and Paint, ambrotype 1850s-60s

Because ambrotypes (and tintypes) are produced directly in camera, unless a mirror or prism is used, the resulting image is inverted laterally. This was sometimes corrected after the fact by facing the emulsion to the dark background. In other variations of the process, only the image area was backed so as to look like the subject was in relief. Dark green or red glass was also used on occasion as a means of eliminating the need for a back entirely.

Yokoyama Matsusaburō, Geisha with Attendant, ambrotype, 1860s
Exterior of case for Geisha with Attendant

The thermoplastic and wood cases typically employed to protect ambrotypes were inspired by those used for daguerreotypes. Despite their similar presentation, ambrotypes lack the mirror-like reflectivity of daguerreotypes, making them easy to identify in the wild. In some cases, elaborate frames were built around ambrotypes for display on the wall. The process gained its strongest footing in Japan, where it remained popular into the 1890s, well after it had been surpassed by paper processes in much of the United States and Europe. Housed in wooden cases decorated with calligraphy, they serve as amalgams of Eastern and Western culture in late 19th-Century Japan.

Anonymous, Two Women, tintype, c. 1870
Anonymous, Two Young Men Crossing Their Walking Sticks, tintype, c…

The tintype was a natural evolution of the ambrotype. The process was first described by the French photographer Adolphe-Alexandre Martin, in 1853. A somewhat confusing nomenclature surrounds the objects produced by the technique, which were also known as malainotypes or ferrotypes. Despite tintype being the name most commonly used, they were made using iron as a support, not tin. Like the ambrotype, tintypes were created by modifying the wet collodion process to produce a direct positive image. Prior to the application of its collodion emulsion, the iron plate was darkened with lacquer or enamel. An underexposed image is then recorded on the plate, creating a similar visual effect to that described above for the ambrotype.

Anonymous, Two Women and a Child, tintype, c. 1860s
Anonymous, Young Man, hand-tinted tintype, c. 1860s-70s

The relative accessibility of the process and durability of the product made the tintype an extremely popular medium in the 1860s, especially in the United States where the Civil War bolstered the photography industry. While Mathew Brady’s team of photographers documenting the conflict has earned the most space in history books, countless tintypists made portraits of soldiers to be sent home to their families during the war.

Anonymous, Portrait of Old Woman, Hand-tinted tintype, c. 1860s
Anonymous, Presidential Campaign Medal with Portraits of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, 1864

In addition to portraits, tintypes were used to create political paraphernalia and other decorative objects. The flat tonality of the images encouraged hand-tinting to add contrast and naturalism to portraits. While some tintypes were housed in cases similar to ambrotypes and daguerreotypes, others, following the popularity of the carte-de-visite, were placed in paper cases.

Anonymous, Mourning Corsage with Portrait of Abraham Lincoln,…

Photographers interested in creating modern versions of tintypes have a variety of options available. Modern Collodion sells aluminum plates in 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10” sizes, as well as Starter Kits for processing. Photographer’s Formulary produces Collodion that can be purchased—however, it must be picked up in-store. For those in New York, the Penumbra Foundation offers workshops focused on wet-plate processes, as well as a tintype studio.

Have you made an ambrotype or tintype? Share your experiences in the Comments section, below.

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