Types of old photographs and how to identify them:

As well as how to date family photographs....

DAGERREOTYPE:

• 1839 to 1860.  Peak popularity 1852 to 1854.
• These are a unique image, as no exact copies were possible.
• They are usually in a case of some sort.
• They have a shiny reflective surface.  You may have to hold it at an angle to see the image.
• They are sometimes colored or tinted.
• They can easily be confused with Ambrotypes and Tintypes.
• Sometimes called "Mirrors with a memory," because they are made with silver on a copper plate.

AMBROTYPE:

• 1854 to 1865.  Peak popularity 1857 to 1859.
• These are also a unique image, as no exact copies were possible.
• They are often in a case of some sort.
• They are a negative image on glass, with black paint or other material on the back.
• The paint can become "chipped," revealing a hole in the image.
• The images are on glass and are very breakable.

TINTYPE:

• 1856 to 1867.  Peak popularity 1860 to 1867.  Most popular in America.
• The image was produced on an iron plate with black Japan varnish on the back.
• They have no whites - only black and gray images.  Rather lackluster compared to Daguerreotype and Ambrotype.
• They can easily be detected with a magnet.  The iron makes these the only magnetic photographs.

ALBUMEN PRINT:

• 1850 to 1910.
• These were produced on paper coated with egg whites (hence the name albumen).
• They are mounted on cardboard.
• They are usually faded and yellowing.

CARTE DE VISTE (French, literally, Visiting Card):

• 1854 to 1905.
• These were albumen prints.
• They are very small, 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch photos, mounted on a card.
• They were typically used as calling cards.
• They were often collected like baseball cards of today, and you may come across cards with images of famous people.

CABINET CARD:

• 1863 to 1920.
• These are similar to Carte De Viste, but larger.
• They were always produced in pairs.
• They were often taken with elaborate backgrounds and theatrical sets.

STEREOGRAPH:

• Peak popularity 1858 to 1905.
• These were a pair of photographs mounted for 3 dimensional viewing in stereoscopes.
• Almost every middle to upper class home had a stereoscope with many cards to view.
• They were used almost entirely for entertainment purposes, very seldom will you find family photographs in this format.

TIPS:

• Try to determine the date of an image by the technique used to make that image.
• Look for the photographers imprint.  You can then use city directories to determine the period he was in business.
• Examine clothing and other props in the image to help determine dates.
  
  
• Children:
  1. Boys and girls wore similar clothing until about age 5.
  2. "Dresses" were longer when young and got shorter as they grew to accommodate crawling.
  3. Boys hair was often parted on the side while girls hair was parted in the middle.
  4. In family portraits, it was common for children to line up in birth order.
  5. The length of a girls skirt got longer as she grew from a child to an adult.
  6. Boys wore short pants until they were teenagers.
  
  
• Weddings:
  • In wedding portraits, couples often wore their regular clothes.
  • A popular wedding dress color was brown.
  • Wedding dresses were passed down from mother to daughter.
  • Women often altered their wedding dress to use at other occasions.
  
  
• Postmortems:
  • A postmortem (after death) photograph was a common way to document a member of the family.
  • These were most commonly taken of children who died before any portrait photographs were taken.
  • Portraits of deceased children were often taken in a parents lap, in a crib or, ultimately, in a coffin.
  • Portraits of individuals holding photographs may be an indication of someone not present due either to death, military service, or other reasons for absence.
  
  
• Preservation:
  • Always use copies to reduce handling of fragile originals.
  • Always make a copy for display.
  • Never store any kind of photograph in the attic or the basement, for obvious reasons.
  • Never attempt to clean or repair a photograph yourself.  Leave this to the professionals.
  • Always store the negatives separately (like a back up copy).
  • Only use pencil and only write on the back when labelling photographs.
  • Always use acid free enclosures (envelopes, folders, albums, etc.).
  • Always wear lint free gloves when handling old photographs.
  • Sort your pictures by size.
  • If possible, carefully scan each photograph into your computer.  Then make at least one additional copy (more is safer) which is stored in a differnent location, one not likely to be struck by the same fire or flood.  An external hard drive is a good choice, and your safe deposit box is a good, safe location.
  • If you scan your photos, always keep a pristine copy of the original scan when attempting to modify the image in any way.  Always use copies for any attempted enhancement or repair of digital images.

For further information, you may find the following two books useful.

1. Early Photographs by O. Henry Mace.  ISBN: 0-87341-720-8
2. Uncovering Your Ancestry through Family Photographs by Maureen A. Taylor.  ISBN: 1-55870-724-7