The American Tintype

Book excerpt: Two collectors of 19th-century photographia and a professor of photography, theater, and cinema (Ohio State U.) explore the uniquely American form of photography also known as melainotype and the ferrotype. Developed in Ohio, it flourished between 1861 and 1863 and was faster, cheaper, and more durable than the daguerreotype. It involved reproducing the photographic image on thin sheets of iron instead of glass. A century later they reveal details of hairstyles, clothing, and surroundings and a degree of relaxation that are lost from the more formal daguerreotypes of the time. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR