Miscellany

Ferrotypes

[Two portraits of gentlemen]

Late 19th. century. Image areas 4 x 3 cm. paper boards 10,5 x 6 cm. Two ferrotypes mounted to white paper boards with printed decorations.

Nice condition

No photographer, publisher or printer given. A ferrotype is a photo exposed on a metal sheet. It is an underexposed negative image produced on a dark metal backing, making the image appear as a positive. The ferrotype was an important development from the ambrotype wich has a fragile glass backing. Ferrotypes did not need casing for protection The durability in combination with the fast and easy production of a photograph made ferrotypes widely used in fairs and early photoautomats, especially in the United States. They were produced from the late 1850s. to the end of the 19th. century.

Item No: 3761