THING: Tintype Photography

We recently had our family photo taken by  a friend who is a tintype photographer. What are tintypes? Tintypes are a photographic process before the time of film that involves glass, photochemistry, and a little bit of magic. They were the first kind of photographs that the average person could get and are considered the first “instant” photographs. Invented in 1853 by a Frenchman named Adolphe-Alexandre Martin, tintypes reached their peak popularity in the 1860s and 1870s, but some folks still practice it today.

I love tintypes because they are a reminder of the magic of photography, and how people had to sit still to be photographed. It’s amazing for me to think about how we are able to know so much about the world and things that have happened because of these kinds of photos.