Difference between revisions of "Ferrotype"
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French photographer Adolphe A Martin was the first to use this process, in 1853. | French photographer Adolphe A Martin was the first to use this process, in 1853. | ||
A dry ferrotype processes later replaced the wet-plate system. | A dry ferrotype processes later replaced the wet-plate system. | ||
| − | As the process could be carried out inside the camera (or in an attached developing tank) and needed no drying time, dry ferrotypes were popular with "while-you-wait" beach and street photographers<ref>''Focal Encyclopedia of Photography'', Focal Press, 1976 edition, p.588</ref>. Some cameras were advertised specifically for this purpose, such as the [[Mandel-ette]]. It was also attractive that the plates were very much cheaper than | + | As the process could be carried out inside the camera (or in an attached developing tank) and needed no drying time, dry ferrotypes were popular with "while-you-wait" beach and street photographers<ref>''Focal Encyclopedia of Photography'', Focal Press, 1976 edition, p.588</ref>. Some cameras were advertised specifically for this purpose, such as the [[Mandel-ette]]. It was also attractive that the plates were very much cheaper than glass plates, and also lighter and less fragile. They could be sent through the post; Edward Estabrooke (1903) refers to a size of ferrotype exposure called 'letter-type'.<ref>Estabrooke, E.M. (1903) ''The Ferrotype and How to Make it'' Anthony and Scovill Co., New York, 12th edition 1903. p24. Available in [http://www.archive.org/details/ferrotypehowtoma00esta various formats] including [http://www.archive.org/download/ferrotypehowtoma00esta/ferrotypehowtoma00esta.pdf PDF] at the [http://www.archive.org/ Internet Archive]; supplied by the [http://www.nypl.org/ New York Public Library].</ref> |
Since the image must be viewed from the silvered side of (non-transparent!) plate, the image is left-right reversed (mirror-imaged) - a feature shared with [[Daguerreotype Process|Daguerreotypes]]. | Since the image must be viewed from the silvered side of (non-transparent!) plate, the image is left-right reversed (mirror-imaged) - a feature shared with [[Daguerreotype Process|Daguerreotypes]]. | ||
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The process was used in the US until the early 1940s. | The process was used in the US until the early 1940s. | ||
| − | Many ferrotype cameras are essentially box cameras, with an | + | Many ferrotype cameras are essentially box cameras, with an attached developing tank. Some have a bellows or focusing lens. There are also cameras by several makers of a 'cannon' design. These are usually for very small 'button' plates. Other tintype cameras cover formats at least up to postcard size. |
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Revision as of 17:52, 5 August 2011
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| Tintype street photographer. The cylinder behind the photographer's wrist is the developing tank. image by Ben Shahn (Image rights) |
Ferrotypes (also known in the USA as Tintypes) are photographs made onto black-enamelled iron plates by the wet-collodion process. The black background made the transparent areas of the negative image appear black, and the dark, silvered areas were whitened using mercuric bichloride, and so appear light - in the same way as glass Ambrotypes.
French photographer Adolphe A Martin was the first to use this process, in 1853. A dry ferrotype processes later replaced the wet-plate system. As the process could be carried out inside the camera (or in an attached developing tank) and needed no drying time, dry ferrotypes were popular with "while-you-wait" beach and street photographers[1]. Some cameras were advertised specifically for this purpose, such as the Mandel-ette. It was also attractive that the plates were very much cheaper than glass plates, and also lighter and less fragile. They could be sent through the post; Edward Estabrooke (1903) refers to a size of ferrotype exposure called 'letter-type'.[2]
Since the image must be viewed from the silvered side of (non-transparent!) plate, the image is left-right reversed (mirror-imaged) - a feature shared with Daguerreotypes.
The process was used in the US until the early 1940s.
Many ferrotype cameras are essentially box cameras, with an attached developing tank. Some have a bellows or focusing lens. There are also cameras by several makers of a 'cannon' design. These are usually for very small 'button' plates. Other tintype cameras cover formats at least up to postcard size.
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| Young American | American couple | American family | Two gentlemen | Two young ladies |
Notes
- ↑ Focal Encyclopedia of Photography, Focal Press, 1976 edition, p.588
- ↑ Estabrooke, E.M. (1903) The Ferrotype and How to Make it Anthony and Scovill Co., New York, 12th edition 1903. p24. Available in various formats including PDF at the Internet Archive; supplied by the New York Public Library.
Links
- Ferrotype cameras in a past Breker auction catalogue:
- Aptus, for 1¾×2½ inch exposures, by Moore & Co. of Liverpool, c.1910.
- One Minute Camera, by the One Minute Camera Co. of Chigago, 1910-20.
- Mandel-ette, by the Chicago Ferrotype Co., c.1914.
- Unidentified street camera for ferrotype and postcards, c.1910.
- Streetcameras (pdf), pictures of an assortment of ferrotype cameras, collated by Franz Edtberger on his website
