Name/TitleFerrotype: Unidentified couple
About this objectUnmounted ferrotype photograph of an unidentified white couple, probably working class or lower middle class, seated on the ground [possibly a stony beach] at the foot of a large [sea?] wall. The woman is wearing a hat, white blouse or jacket with a darker skirt, while the man has a moustache and wears a cap, shirt and tie, waistcoat, jacket and trousers. There are no details about the photographer.
MakerUnknown
Maker RolePhotographer
Date Madec.1870s-1940s
Medium and MaterialsInorganic, metal
MeasurementsH: 89 x W: 61 mm
Subject and Association Descriptionhttps://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/find-out-when-a-photo-was-taken-identify-ferrotype-tintype:
Ferrotypes first appeared in America in the 1850s, but didn’t become popular in Britain until the 1870s. They were still being made by while-you-wait street photographers as late as the 1950s.
The ferrotype process was a variation of the collodion positive, and used a similar process to wet plate photography. A very underexposed negative image was produced on a thin iron plate. It was blackened by painting, lacquering or enamelling, and coated with a collodion photographic emulsion. The dark background gave the resulting image the appearance of a positive. Unlike collodion positives, ferrotypes did not need mounting in a case to produce a positive image.
The ability to utilise a very under exposed image meant that a photographer could prepare, expose, develop, and varnish a ferrotype plate in just a few minutes. This, along with the resilience and cheapness of the medium (iron, rather than glass), meant that ferrotypes soon replaced collodion positives as the favourite ‘instant’ process used by itinerant photographers.
Named CollectionGlasgow Women's Library
Object TypePhotograph
Object numberGWL-2022-148-15
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved