Tintype Tuesday - 1860's Woman With Three Young Children (Victorian Era)

This 1860's tintype is of a mother and her three children.  She is sitting with two daughters who look to be about a year apart in age and one son who couldn't sit still for the photo as apparent by the blur.  Her sweet-faced daughters are wearing identical dresses with white lace collars and the son is wearing black pants and white shirt with a lacy collar as well.  Mom is wearing a typical serviceable dress for the time frame.  She looks to be a very proud mother.

Tintype Tuesday - Sweet Civil War Era Toddler

This sweet little boy posed for this tintype photo most likely in the early to mid 1860's.  I am not good at dating children's clothing, but the belted suit with jacket and jaunty cap he is wearing suggests the 1860’s timeframe. The buttons and trim on his suit are amazing.  His cheeks are colorized (tinted) and he is staring at the camera with the most soulful eyes.  He appears to be about 2 1/2 to 3 years old.

Tintypes were first invented in 1852 by Adolpe Alexander Martin, but were patented in 1856 by Hamilton Smith of Ohio.  A rival, Victor Griswold, patented a similar product which he called a ferrotype and later patented with the name tintype.  Tintypes were actually thin sheets of iron on which multiple copies of the photo were printed and then cut.*

Another aid in dating this photo was that this was actually encased in a gold metal frame (see below) which I tried to scan, but the photo came out blurry.  I removed the tintype so the boy's photo could be clearer.  These metal frames were used when tintypes were first introduced.

*Source:  Allen County Public Library, A Tintype by Any Other Name

Tintype Tuesday - Late 1860's/Early 1870's (Victorian) Young Woman with Flowers in Her Hair

Today's Tintype Tuesday is a lovely young, unidentified young  woman wearing a belted, gingham dress with flowered headband.  This tintype photograph was most likely taken in the late 1860's to early 1870's, but since there is no photographer's mark or identification of the subject it is not possible to positively narrow down the date or location.

Tintype Tuesday - 1870's (Victorian)Teenage Girl with Long, Curly Hair

Today's tintype features a teenage girl from most likely the 1870's.  Unfortunately as is seen with most tintypes, this subject is unidentified and there is no photographer or year associated.  Her hair is worn long, braided back from the face and adorned with a large bow and some type of beading embellishment in the center part.  

The very busy neck and bust adornments are all characteristics of 1870 women's fashions.  Note the unusual bow scarf, frilly neck and long rope chain with pendant. Her dress has an unusual dark, quilted piece down the front that beautifully offsets the lighter colors of the rest of the dress and accessories.

1870's Teenage Girl

This tintype is badly scratched all over especially across her face, but using the "retouch" function of my basic photo program I was able to bring back to life her promising young beauty.  Note that the photographer has tinted her cheeks pink.

Tintype Tuesday - Seven 1890's (Victorian Era) Women Pose in Their Finest

This tintype of seven 1890's women is in poor shape, very dark, scratched and discolored.  I did what I could to make it easier to view, but after I brightened it up and removed some of the scratches I realized that either the photographer was not very good or the women were moving because there is some blur in the photo.  

These ladies are all dressed in their finest clothes and wearing hats. It is very easy to see from the style of their dress, especially the sleeves, that this is probably mid-1890's.  Tintypes began to lose favor towards the end of the nineteenth century.  They were often produced as souvenirs on boardwalks and at carnivals. I wonder who these ladies were and what was the circumstance for this shot.  We'll never know, but from the looks on their faces they weren't afraid to have fun!

Tintype Tuesday - Stylish Young 1880's (Victorian Era) Woman with Hat

I love this tintype of a stylish young 1870's woman wearing bustled dress and hat.  She is leaning on a photographer's fake stone prop and is holding a handkerchief in her hand. Her dress has the typical fitted bodice and front buttons of the time and she is wearing a dark colored boater-type hat with what appears to be feathers on the top.  I love the not so typical bangs of her hairstyle.  She is quite lovely and I can't help wondering what she was thinking.


Update:  This one has been bothering me and I am changing the timeline to 1880's!

Tintype Tuesday - Two Young 1860's Brothers

Look at these two cuties from the 1860's; two little blonde brothers dressed nearly identically and staring at the photographer with such serious faces.  I am guessing that they were about three and five years old and it appears the older brother moved while the photo was being taken as his facial features are a little blurred. 

Unknown 1860's Civil War era brothers

I always have such difficulty dating photos with children, but according to Victoriana Magazine "by the 1860's boys were sporting a new style of trousers called knickerbockers. These wide leg pants fastened below the knee and oftentimes were worn with a matching vest and jacket. The jacket had a cutaway front with a single fastening at the neck, exposing the buttoned vest beneath." I'm not sure of the significance of the chain and charm, but the goal was for the boy to wear a suit resembling his father's so one can guess this was to assume the appearance of a pocketwatch.

Tintype Tuesday - Two Women Show Off Their Long Hair

Beautiful long hair was considered a woman's crowning glory in the 1800's and this is very evident in today's tintype which features two women  proudly showing of their very very long, dark-colored hair. This photo seems to have been well thought out as each woman is wearing a white dress to best accentuate her hair.  I like how the photographer has posed these women, one sitting and one standing, each with their hair over their shoulder down the front.

It appears that these women are related from their facial features, and I believe they were most likely mother and daughter.  I had real trouble dating this photo.    My feeling is that it was probably taken late 1870's to early 1880's, however I could be wrong.  

Tintype Tuesday - Handsome Young 1870's Man

Unidentified 1870's Man

Today's tintype is an example of a tintype packaged in a sleeve simulating a picture frame. The subject is a very handsome, unidentified  young man with blonde hair.  He appears to be well-dressed and  in the photo his cheeks are slightly tinted pink.  I daresay he was quite popular with the ladies and the lucky recipients of this photograph were very happy to have it.  I estimate this photo to have been taken in the early 1870's, perhaps 1872 give or take a year.

Tintype Tuesday - Young 1870's Woman in Striped Dress

The problem with tintypes is that out of all the vintage photographs they are the least likely to be dated and identified.  These two tintypes of a lovely young woman in a striped dress show her posed both sitting and standing.  I've gone back and forth in my head trying to reach a date and I just keep thinking they look like 1870's photos. Her bustled dress is trimmed with ball fringe, kind of like what my mother used to have on her curtains.  Her hairstyle and the neckline and bow of the dress also suggest to me the 1870 date.  I welcome any comments or suggestions to further help date this photo.

Tintype Tuesday - Two 1870's Tintypes - Same Young Woman?

These two tintypes were purchased in a group of photos from the same vendor and I believe them to be of the same young woman.  I have examined them at length and although there are some slight differences  such as she appears to be wearing dark gloves in the second photo and the dress appears slightly different which could mean that perhaps the photos were taken on a different day.  I estimate that these photos were taken sometime between 1872 and 1875 but as always I reserve my right to be wrong!  At any rate, she is a lovely young woman, so serious and reflective in her poses.  I wish I knew who she was and what she was thinking.

 

Tintype Tuesday - 1860's Baby in Christening Gown

This week's tintype features a young baby probably about 3-4 months old in a christening gown.   Both the type of chair and flooring clue me in that this photo was taken some time in the 1860's.  The sweet little tyke is chubby faced and alert and I'm sure the child's mother treasured this  photograph of her child.  Too bad, once again that there is no identification.

TinType Tuesday - Proud Papa & Grumpy Children at the Seashore

This week's Tin Type Tuesday photo shows a beaming father and what may be his five children most likely posing for a boardwalk photographer.  What is interesting is that the man is wearing a suit and the kids are all wearing bathing costumes.  And these children, particularly the boys, do not look happy! I'm guessing they were in a hurry to get to the seashore and Dad wanted to have a photo taken first.  

But wait, here's another tintype of the same gentleman wearing his own bathing costume posing with three children.  I believe the boy is the same boy from the first tintype (right side both photos) but these girls do not seem to be the same as the first picture.  The boy is wearing a different shirt so I believe these were taken on different days.  So are all of these his children, are any of them his children?  Guess we'll never know.

I would date both of these tintypes in the 1890s or early 1900's.  Tintypes first became popular in the Civil War because it was easy for soldiers to send them home to their families in the mail, plus up to twelve duplicate images could be produced on a single exposure with a multiple lens camera.  They were popular until around the late 1880's. They experienced a revival in popularity in the late 1890's at carnivals and boardwalks as a quick and cheap way to have a photograph taken.  This trend lasted until about 1930.

Source:  http://www.forensicgenealogy.info/History_of_Photography.html

Tintype Tuesday - Two Winsome Tykes

Today's tin type shows two adorable young children, a boy and a girl, most likely siblings although the boy looks to me like he could have some Indian blood. They are each seated, the girl in front on perhaps a small stool, the boy behind her on what appears to be a fringed chair. She has the sweetest face and is wearing a dark dress with perhaps polka dots or small flowers. She is also wearing a chain around her neck with a cross.

The boy, who has such soulful eyes, is dressed in a boy's suit with knee-length pants.  He is leaning on her chair and has one leg crossed over the other.  This tin type is very dark and I have tried lightening it up to be able to see the details. I'm not really good with dating children's clothing, but if I had to guess a date, due to the painted backdrop, I would say mid to late 1880's, however, because of the fringed chair it could be earlier than that even 1870's.  These children and the photographer are both unidentified as well as the location.

Tin Type Tuesday - 1880's Woman - Who Is She?

This 1880's tin type with paper sleeve shows a attractive young woman with a serene look on her face.  She is wearing typical 1880 garb and hairstyle.  At her throat is a pin that is seen commonly in the 1880's.  Her left arm is resting on a photographer' chair.  Her dress is interesting with the dark stripes down the front of the bodice.  I wonder what she was thinking about as she posed.

Tintype Tuesday - Handsome 1870's Maryland Man

This tin type of a young, handsome man, most likely taken in the 1870's, was taken by W. B. Dulaney of 418 Mains St (I believe). The state is Maryland but I cannot decipher for sure the city.  I tried a number of searches but could not come up with a possible town/city.  The subject is quite handsome - I wish I knew his story, the circumstances behind the picture!

Tintype Tuesday - Beautiful 1870's Woman

This lovely young lady posed for the photographer for this tintype most likely in the 1870's.  She is sitting in the typical fringed chair of the era.  She has her hair pulled back in a rather severe fashion and it is difficult to tell what is on the top of her head but it appears to be a bow or other hair accessory.  She is wearing ear-bobs, necklace an rings on her right hand.  The top of her dress seems to be quite fitted with beautiful frilled neckline and cuffs, and I am not sure if the dress has a bustle, but I am guessing that it does.  She appears to be holding something in her left hand, but I cannot tell what it is.

Due to the high, quite decorative neckline I believe this photo to have been take in the mid to late 1870's.  Unfortunately as is most often the case with tintypes, both the subject and the photographer are unidentified.

Tintype Tuesday - Debonair 1880's Man in Top Hat Part Two

A couple of weeks ago I posted two tintypes of a very good-looking and well-dressed man from the 1880's in top hat posing with a boy and by himself.  I bought these two photographs in a lot of about twenty tintypes.  In looking at them more closely I realized that most of these may be from the same family, in fact at least six or seven of them, and possibly more, are of the same man I previously posted and at different ages. Oh, how I wish I had names!

I wanted to share more of these tintype photos of Mr. Debonair so you can judge for yourself whether it is the same man.  The first image is a one-fourth plate tintype which is larger than the usual one-sixth plate tintypes.  In these first two photos he is on the left  and wearing his top hat.

In this third photo he is wearing a type of bowler hat and posing with three three children I can only assume are his own children.  Note the picture on the bottom left he has no mustache, the one on the right he does.

And then finally I have a couple of pictures of him as a younger man, first posing in a nice suit as usual and wearing a white bowler.  In the last photo he is even younger, is once again wearing a suit and for the first time is not wearing a hat.  He is posing with another young man - perhaps a friend or a classmate.

I'm quite fascinated with Mr. Debonair, unfortunately I'm afraid the mystery of his identity will never be solved.

Tintype Tuesday - Man in Top Hat

These are two of five tintypes I obtained somewhere of the same very attractive gentleman.  As is common with many tintypes, the subjects and photographer are both unidentified.   In these two particular photos the gentleman in question is posing wearing a top hat, first alone and then with a young boy at his side.  In the first photo he is wearing a long dark overcoat, sitting on a studio prop "tree stump" and holding in his hand an unknown object;  in the second photo he is wearing a white or beige overcoat, sitting with the boy standing next to him.  Tintype dating is always a challenge for me, but I feel that from the props in the first photo that it was most likely dated in the 1880's.  Perhaps in the near future I will post the other tintypes I have of this subject in which he is posing alone and with other gentlemen.

Tintype Tuesday - Mother and Five Daughters

This tintype of a mother and her five daughters, although undated and subjects unidentified, says to me probably late 1890's or early 1900's.   The mother is second from the left and she is surrounded by her five daughters who appear to be anywhere from seven years to perhaps sixteen years old.  They appear to be not as well dressed as some of the subjects you see in the cartes de visites and cabinet cards of the same era and are perhaps of some ethnic background.  It is a fascinating photograph nonetheless - I find their faces quite interesting.