Tintype (Ferrotype)
Direct-positive photographs on lacquered iron — cheap, durable, and iconic.
CIRCA 1860s PIN TINTYPE HANDSOME CIVIL WAR SOLDIER IN UNIFORM HAND-TINTED
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Three Gorgeous Ladies in Fancy Dresses 1870s
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Two Adult Women in Fancy Dresses 1890s
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Three Women Seated And Standing Wearing Hats 1890s
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Group Of Four Women Seated And Standing 1880s
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Seated Older Woman In Dark Dress Black Bonnet 1860s
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Two Men Standing Behind Two Seated Women 1870s
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Seated Young Girl in White Dress Hidden Mother 1880s
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Multi Generation Family Group Seated Fancy 1880s
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Scary Man With Three Gorgeous Ladies Wild West Era
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Two Adult Women And Two Children Barefeet 1890s
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Large Group of Ladies with Children Fancy 1890s
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Two Young Women Seated With Two Young Men 1890s
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Large Group of Nine Adults Men & Women 1880s
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Seated Man With Mustache And Standing Young Woman
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Young Man with Broken Deformed Jaw Photo of Photo
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Seated Young Man With Mustache Hand-Tinted 1880s
Antique 1/6th Plate Tintype Seated Bearded Man In Suit With Bow Tie And 1870s
1/6th Plate Tintype Fireman in Uniform with Two Ladies in White Dresses
Antique Gem tintype Circa 1860s Civil War Soldier in Uniform with Mustache
ANTIQUE TINTYPE HANDSOME MAN RIDING ON BONE SHAKER BICYCLE RARE CIRCA 1870s
Antique Tintype Circa 1880s Teenage Girl Fancy Dress Grand Forks MN
Antique Tintype Circa 1860s Bearded Man In Suit Unknown
Antique Tintype Circa 1870s Man With Mustache In Suit Unmarked
Tintypes (also called ferrotypes) are direct-positive photographs made on a thin sheet of lacquered iron. Cheap to produce and nearly indestructible, they were a fixture of itinerant photographers, fairgrounds, and seaside boardwalks from the American Civil War well into the 20th century — the longest production run of any 19th-century photo format.
HistoryOrigin & era
Invented in 1853 by Adolphe Alexandre Martin in Paris and patented in the United States by Hamilton Smith in 1856, the tintype shared its plate-size family with the daguerreotype and ambrotype — they were all made on the same camera plates. Unlike a CDV, every tintype is a unique direct-positive: there is no negative. Most are dark and slightly muddy because the image sits on a black-japanned iron base. They're heavier than they look — a magnet will stick to the back. Peak use was the 1860s–70s; street and boardwalk photographers were still making them into the 1930s.
IdentificationHow to spot a Tintype
- Magnetic — a small magnet sticks to the back. (Definitive test.)
- Slightly heavier than paper or glass photographs of the same size.
- Image often slightly dark, slate-grey, with a thin lacquer sheen.
- Edges sometimes show rust or japanning chips.
- Frequently found in paper sleeves, leather cases, or unmounted.
Tintype sizes
Tintypes share the standard American "plate" sizes with daguerreotypes and ambrotypes, plus a few formats unique to the cheaper itinerant trade.
| Format | Inches | Millimeters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole plate | 6½ × 8½ in | 165 × 216 mm | Rare; mostly studio formal portraits. |
| Half plate | 4¼ × 5½ in | 108 × 140 mm | Uncommon; usually couples or small groups. |
| Quarter plate | 3¼ × 4¼ in | 83 × 108 mm | Common for higher-end portraits. |
| Sixth plate | 2¾ × 3¼ in | 70 × 83 mm | By far the most common size — the default. |
| Ninth plate | 2 × 2½ in | 51 × 64 mm | Often in small leather cases or lockets. |
| Sixteenth plate | 1⅜ × 1⅝ in | 35 × 41 mm | Tiny — sometimes set into jewelry. |
| Bon-ton | 2⅜ × 3½ in | 60 × 89 mm | Late-19th-century portrait format. |
| Gem tintype | ⅞ × 1 in | 22 × 25 mm | Tiny portraits set into albums or jewelry. |
| Card-mounted (CDV-style) | 2½ × 4 in | 64 × 100 mm | Tintype trimmed and pasted onto a CDV mount. |
Common questions
What is a tintype?
A tintype (also called a ferrotype) is a direct-positive photograph made on a thin sheet of lacquered iron. Each tintype is a unique one-of-a-kind image — there is no negative. Invented by Adolphe Martin in 1853 and patented in the U.S. by Hamilton Smith in 1856, tintypes were the cheapest form of photography of their day and stayed in use at fairs and boardwalks into the 1930s.
How can I tell if a photo is a tintype?
The definitive test is a magnet — it will stick to the back of a tintype because the base is iron. Tintypes are also noticeably heavier than paper photographs of the same size, slightly dark and slate-grey in tone, and often show a thin lacquer sheen on the surface.
Are tintypes valuable?
Most common 19th-century tintypes are modest in value ($10–$40) because they were produced cheaply by the millions. Cased tintypes, occupational portraits, outdoor scenes, Civil War soldiers, identified subjects, and large-plate (half- and whole-plate) examples can fetch hundreds to thousands of dollars.
What plate sizes did tintypes come in?
Tintypes used the same plate-size family as daguerreotypes — whole, half, quarter, sixth, ninth, and sixteenth plate — plus a few unique formats. The sixth plate (about 2¾ × 3¼ inches) is by far the most common. Tiny ‘gem’ tintypes (about an inch square) and card-mounted tintypes in CDV-style mounts are also frequently encountered.
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