Posted 13 years ago
jjackson
(11 items)
This was among the family history documents that were given to me after grandpa's death. The subject was his aunt who lived from 1902-1992. It would seem to be a graduation picture but not 100% sure what the occasion was. I would really like to know what kind of photo it is and why it was done with these materials? It has obviously been cut at some point. It measures approx. 3" x 2" x 1"..
Thanks for looking!
I just copied this from the Internet and it may help you identify the material.
The tintype actually does not contain any tin, but is made of thin black iron. It is sometimes confused with ambrotypes and daguerreotypes, but is easily distinguishable from them by the fact that a tintype attracts a small magnet.
It looks like some sort of printing block. It is not a tintype, ambrotype or daguerreotype.
Scott
Thanks for these comments. The info I have read on wiki hasn't really helped me know exactly what it is. I also wondered if it was used for printing somehow. But I couldn't come up with a logical explanation for its format. It does have quite a bit of texture that is not clear in the photos. I wish I knew what got cut off the right side of it... A mystery that probably won't ever be solved. These are the moments I wish I could go back in time and get more info. So any ideas why a person would have a print block photo of herself if that's what it is?
So I just took a closer look and you can just see it a bit in the first photo. Just above the groove on the bottom there are what is probably ink stains and the groove is likely where it was clamped into a press?
I need advice on category placement.
Thanks Jason for that info!
Could I actually produce a print using ink and a wood clamp or is that likely to damage it?
Thanks all for info, comments and loves.