As a collector/dealer in antique photography, I am often surprised by the lack of knowledge in the antique community on antique photography.  All too often I see every old photo in a case labeled as a Daguerreotype or Tintype.  In this short article, I will highlight the history and identify the characteristics of the various types of antique photographs that are usually encountered at antique shops or flea markets.
       Photographs can be divided into two basic categories— hard images and paper images.
HARD IMAGES:
There are three types of hard images—The Daguerreotype, ambrotype, and tintype. Hard images are usually found in leatherette cases that resemble small books with a plush velvet interior on one side and the image under a decorative brass mat on the other side.  More elaborate and costly cases made from thermoplastic are sometimes found housing early hard images.  Hard images came in 6 standard sizes: Full Plate  6 1/2" X 8 1/2"- Half Plate  4 1/2" X 5 1/2" - Quarter Plate  3 1/4" X 4 1/2" - Sixth Plate   2 3/4" X 3 1/4" - Ninth Plate  2" X 2 1/2" - Gem size Plate 1 1/2" X 2" or 1" X 3/4"
 Daguerreotype (Dag): Louis Daguerre in France first developed The Daguerreotype in 1837.  The process consisted of a thin sheet of silver-coated tin that was treated with chemicals.  When this plate was exposed to light an image was captured on it and fixed with a saline solution.  By the early 1840’s the daguerreotype craze had caught on in the United States.  Photography studios sprung up in major cities within the United States.  Typically a Dag would cost two to three dollars (large sizes such as half and full plates were even more expensive), which was a tremendous amount of money in those days. By the late 1850’s interest in Dags had lessened due to the price and less expensive forms of photography.  Dags made after 1861 are considered very rare.  A Dag can be readily identified due to its mirrored silver appearance.  When tilted at an angle the image will disappear.  A Dag can be easily damaged; the slightest touch on the surface of the image scratches the silver emulsion.  Dags are best kept in the original case.  Do not try to remove or clean a Dag.
Ambrotype (Ambro): The Ambrotype was developed in the early 1850’s.  It consisted of a thin plate of glass that was treated with chemicals and exposed to light.  This glass plate negative was then turned in to a positive image by placing a black lacquer or black background on the back of the plate.  Some ambrotypes were made on colored glass; these ruby ambrotypes did not require a black background.  The ambrotype was fragile and easily broken until it was placed into a photo case.  The ambrotype image can be damaged by the slightest touch on the image surface and it should be kept in its original case.  Most ambrotypes can be dated as pre- 1863.
Tintype (Tin, ferrotype, Melainotype): The tintype was developed in mid 1850’s.  Because it is a stable image with no silver content it easily replaced the dag and ambro as the most popular form of photography.  The tintype remained a popular form of photography until the turn of the century and continued to be produced well into this century.  Early tintypes (pre- 1865) are usually found in cases, while later tintypes are often found loose.
PAPER IMAGES:
There a variety of styles and sizes of paper images.  Unlike the “one of a kind” hard images, the paper image allowed for mass production.  All early paper images were produced in the same manner.  A glass plate negative was produced and then multiple copies of paper images were contact printed from the negative.   Because these images were contact printed the glass plate negative was the same size as the resulting paper image.  The most commonly encountered paper images are the Cartes de visite, cabinet card, albumen, and stereoview.
Carte de Visite (CDV): The Cartes de Visite (French for Visiting Card) was first produced in the mid 1850’s.  It consisted of a paper image mounted on a 2 1/2" X 4" card.  The back of the CDV often had a stamp identifying the photographer (called a backmark).  During the Civil War CDVs were collected like baseball cards are collected today.  Often unmarked CDVs are found of famous people— these more often than not, are pirated images.  A dishonest photographer would buy a famous portrait, create his own negative and then produce and sell his CDVs at a bargain price.  By not imprinting the image with a photographer’s mark the rightful owner of the image could not prosecute the thief.  CDVs usually sold for a couple of dollars for a dozen, so they were far more economical than the hard images.
During the final years of the Civil War the Federal government placed a tax on CDVs.  The tax was in effect from 1864 until 1866 and CDVs from that time period will bear a US Revenue stamp on the back (about the same size as a modern postage stamp).
Early CDVs have straight corners and are on thin cardstock with simple photographers backmarks.  1870’s and later CDVs are on thicker cardstock, often have rounded corners and have elaborate backmarks.
Cabinet Card:  The Cabinet Card is simply a larger version of the CDV that was introduced soon after the Civil War.  The image was mounted on a 4 1/2 X 6 1/2" card.  It replaced the CDV in popularity during the latter part of the 1800’s.
Albumen:  The Albumen print is an even larger paper image.  An albumen is usually found in an oval format measuring about 5" X 7".  Often these albumens will be in elaborate Victorian wood frames.  Albumens were popular during the same time period as the CDV.  Due to its larger size albumens were usually sold individually.  The photographer would often mark the albumen print near the bottom mat with his name and studio address.
Stereoview:  A stereoview is two images mounted on one card that appear three dimensional when seen through a viewer.  A stereoview card is 7" X 3 1/2".  Stereoviews had to be taken with a special camera in order to achieve the proper effect.  A camera with two lenses at slightly different angles was used to take the picture.  The talent of the photographer is evident in the stereoview format.  The 3D quality is unbelievable in some of the early views.  Stereoviews became popular during the Civil War and continued in popularity well into this century.  Early stereoviews (pre 1875) are on tan or yellow mounts that are flat.  Later mounts are orange, tan, or black in color and are slightly curved. Often stereoviews will be marked with the photographer’s name and the date.
With all forms of photography there are certain subjects that make the images more desirable.  The famous, occupational, military, animals, and the unusual are all subject matters that have a large audience of collectors.
  One area of photography collecting that is gaining rapidly in popularity is the common snapshot and snapshot albums from the early part of this century.  Again it is the subject matter that can make these albums a prize for the collector.
  Scott would be happy to answer questions on antique photography, and he is always looking to buy single images or collections.
  Scott operates an Online Antique Business specializing in photographs.  He can be reached at (541) 895-5655, or scottiques@msn.com.