Plate Tintype
For most people Civil War photography was when a guy in a white jacket made everybody stand still for a really time in front of a huge camera, he did some photography stuff, and the image shows up in hundreds of Civil War books. Fortunately the real history of Civil War photos is much more involved and interesting than that.
The first real photographic technique to be used was daguerreotypy. Many of the pre-Civil War photographs you see were taken as daguerreotypes, such as portraits of families, celebrities, and politicians. Abraham Lincoln is perhaps the most famous example. Daguerreotypes were basically silver-coated copper plates that were carefully prepared in chemicals before being exposed and developed.
Quick on the heels of the daguerreotype came what is known as the collodion wet plate process. Very simply, the wet plate process cut down on many chemicals and techniques and created photo negatives, which were much easier and faster to produce. The ambrotye was the first wet plate photo but the tintype came onto the photographic scene just in time for the Civil War. Ambrotype photos were on glass plates, tintypes were on iron (not tin).
Both photo types were heavily used during the Civil War in city portrait studios and on battlefields alike. Union and Confederate soldiers swarmed to get their photos taken, mostly on tintypes, and later on cabinet card and carte de visite (CDV) albumen prints. Don't worry, that basically means mostly paper and cardstock prints. With cheap tintypes, CDVs, and cabinet photos, Union soldiers sent their likenesses to their sweethearts up north and Confederates sent theirs to their Belles. Soldiers posed bravely in the studios with their muskets, rifles, knives, and uniforms before being sent off to fight.
On Civil War battlefields photographic history was being made as brave photographers like Matthew Brady, Alexander Gardner, George Barnard, and others followed the Union and Confederate armies around during campaigns and captured the carnage for all the world to see. During the long spells between battles, soldiers, engineers, slaves, and servants would pose for camp scene photos and humorous poses to break the monotony.
Never was a war so fully documented before in history as was the Civil War. Civil War photos were fascinating back then and still are today. Many are surprised to learn that 3D photographs called stereographs were created and many famous Civil War photos were taken as stereographs. Civilians in cities could step into galleries and witness the horrific bloodshed at Antietam or Gettysburg in 3D with a lift of the stereograph viewer to their eyes.
There seems to have been countless numbers of Civil War photos that were taken, but they are steadily disappearing as photos wear and fade with time. In fact, many people were so sick of the carnage that by the end of the war, thousands were tossed away or used in glass houses to be destroyed quickly by the sun. There are though, still many of these priceless photographs available today, as precious reminders of the men who fought and died, and the people who struggled throughout the most devastating war America has ever seen.
J. F. Borno writes about tintypes, ambrotypes, daguerreotypes, stereographs, civil war tintypes, and all other forms of early photography.
What Is On YouTube Today?
Scanning Wet-Plate Collodion Ambrotype or Tintype Plate
Here Are Some Items From Amazon You Might Like.
 Neewer 110CM 43" 5-in-1 Collapsible Multi-Disc Light Reflector Sale Price: $12.81  Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days  |
 NEEWER® 32" 80CM Portable 5 in 1 Translucent, Silver, Gold, White, and Black Collapsible Round Multi Disc Light Reflector for Studio or any Photography Situation! Sale Price: $10.75 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours |
 2 PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO CONTINUOUS LIGHTING KITS W/ TWO FREE Day-Light CFL LIGHTS & UMBRELLAS FOR PRODUCT, PORTRAIT, & VIDEO SHOOT Sale Price: $31.49 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
 Professional 58mm Digital Tulip Flower Lens Hood For canon 18-55mm , 28-80mm , 28-90mm , 28-105mm , 55-250mm , 70-300mm , 75-300mm , 100-300mm , 50mm 1.4 , 85mm 1.8 with Lens cap Holder and Lens cleaning Kit Sale Price: $1.49 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
 CowboyStudio Photography/Video Studio Triple Lighting Kit with 10ft x 12ft Black, White and Green Muslins Backdrops and Background Support System with Case List Price: Sale Price: $121.99 You save: $68.01 (36%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3CK Kit Black 12.1-megapixel Digital Camera with 14mm Pancake Lens List Price: Sale Price: $394.00 You save: $305.95 (44%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours |
 CowboyStudio Photography and Video Continuous Triple Lighting Kit, Backdrop Support System, Black & White Muslin Backdrops, and Carry Case for Support System List Price: Sale Price: $121.99 You save: $14.01 (10%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
 Idirectmart Photo Tent Table Top Studio Light Photography Soft Box Kit - Size 19.5" Cube Sale Price: $29.49 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
 Cowboystudio Photography/Video Portrait Umbrella Continuous Triple Lighting Kit with Three Day Light CFL Bulbs, Umbrellas, Stands, and Carrying Case For Product, Portrait, and Video Shoots Sale Price: $59.99 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1 to 3 months |
 Opteka Pocket-Sized Reference Color & White Balance Grey Card Set With Quick-Release Neck Strap for Digital Photography List Price: Sale Price: $9.95 You save: $30.04 (75%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours |
Items recently purchased on this site:
Thanks for visiting!