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Itinerant photographers (smudgers)vegan appearing on English streets, fairgrounds and at the seaside (1860s). They were taking instant photographs while the customer waited. At first collodion wet plate processes were used to take Ambrotype and Ferrotype (Tintype) photographs using a portable darkroom to sensitize and develop the images. These photographs were produced in minutes. By the 1890s dry ferrotype materials were available and cameras were manufactured to use these new materials. From here onwards all processing operations could now be performed within the camera dispensing with the need for the portable darkroom. The camera had a tank containing a combined developer and fixer solution and about 30 seconds in this chemistry with a quick rinse in water in a mug tied to the tripod leg was all that was required. Smudgers carried a magnet on a chain to get the plate out of the camera. This rather short process with its lack of a suitable fresh water wash accounts for why so few images exist. However suitably stored ferrotypes have surprisingly survived to the present day. Early examples were on the iron base but in the 1920s a non-ferrous card material was introduced. The photographic wholesaler Jonathan Fallowfield was advertising in the 1935 British Journal Photographic Almanac their �Straco ferrotype cards and JF Fasa plates, special Develofix salts and stickyback mounts�. In the same publication Moore & Co of Liverpool were advertising their �New Improved Aptus Autocard Cameras.� Ferrotypes continued to be taken until the late 1940s by the 1950s the process had been consigned to history. Ernest Pendrigh was an Australian who came to the United Kingdom before World War I to seek his fortune. He noticed the smudgers taking ferrotypes on Brighton seafront using an Aptus camera and he decided to cash in on this money making scheme and bought himself an Aptus. These cameras were known as �choppers� because of a lever on the side of the camera used to position plate to take the photograph. Pendrigh used this camera in various seaside towns and in Trafalgar Square London during his eventful career. He provides a wealth of informtion about tin-types photogrophyb in England. [Penrich] This book is now out of print but is worth a read if a copy can be obtained. Early ferrotypes were often presented in cases similar to Ambrotypes and they can at first glance look very similar. A small fridge magnet placed near a ferrotype should be attracted to the iron and provide a method of identification. Later ferrotype cards do not of course pass the magnet test but are often presented in a window type mount of a similar size to a Carte de Visite. Some of these mounts have printed designs on them with �JF� printed on them that I assume means these were Fallowfield mounts. I have a small number of ferrotypes in my collection that I attach. The one with a child on a donkey was in a case with and oval mount and was probably taken by the wet collodion method (figure 1). All the others are card types and were taken between World War I and World War II. The one with a house in the background is believed to be taken in Lowestoft. The images are very dark but have been tweaked in photo editing software. [Godfrey]
Itinerant photographers (smudgers) began appearing on English streets, fairgrounds and at the seaside (1860s). They were taking instant photographs while the customer waited. At first collodion wet plate processes were used to take Ambrotype and Ferrotype (Tintype) photographs using a portable darkroom to sensitize and develop the images. These photographs were produced in minutes. Most of the English photographs we have found are studio CDVs and cabinet cards. We have found few tintypes, but believe that many were taken. We suspect that images may have deteriotated over time. Interestingly those that survived provide us fascinating views outside the studio. This is arare thing in the 19th centyry. This stree photography seems more prevalent in Engkand than any other country. Unfortunately, many of these images do not seem to have survived prbably because of the chemistry involved they were nit as stable as paper albumen studio prints. We have a much larger American archive, but almost all were studio portarits. Stree photography was much less common.
Dry ferrotype materials were available and cameras were manufactured to use these new materials (1890s). From here onwards all processing operations could now be performed within the camera dispensing with the need for the portable darkroom. The camera had a tank containing a combined developer and fixer solution and about 30 seconds in this chemistry with a quick rinse in water in a mug tied to the tripod leg was all that was required. Smudgers carried a magnet on a chain to get the plate out of the camera. This rather short process with its lack of a suitable fresh water wash accounts for why so few images exist. Suitably stored ferrotypes have surprisingly survived to the present day. Large numbers of these images, however, as they were not properly washed removing the developing materials, they deteiirated over time. We at first wondered why we were finding so few English tintypes given the fact that large numbes were taken on the street annd various popular venues. This seems to answer the question.
Early examples were on the iron base but in the 1920s a non-ferrous card material was introduced. The photographic wholesaler Jonathan Fallowfield was advertising in the 1935 British Journal Photographic Almanac their �Straco ferrotype cards and JF Fasa plates, special Develofix salts and stickyback mounts�. In the same publication Moore & Co of Liverpool were advertising their 'New Improved Aptus Autocard Cameras'. Ferrotypes continued to be taken until the late 1940s by the 1950s the process had been consigned to history. Ernest Pendrigh was an Australian who came to the United Kingdom before World War I to seek his fortune. He noticed the smudgers taking ferrotypes on Brighton seafront using an Aptus camera and he decided to cash in on this money making scheme and bought himself an Aptus. These cameras were known as 'choppers' because of a lever on the side of the camera used to position plate to take the photograph. Pendrigh used this camera in various seaside towns and in Trafalgar Square London during his eventful career. He provides a wealth of informtion about tin-types photogrophyb in England. [Penrich] This book is now out of print but is worth a read if a copy can be obtained.
Early ferrotypes were often presented in cases similar to Ambrotypes and they can at first glance look very similar. In many cases this ha left marks on the actual tintype. A small fridge magnet placed near a ferrotype should be attracted to the iron and provide a method of identification. Later ferrotype cards do not of course pass the magnet test but are often presented in a window type mount of a similar size to a Carte de Visite. Some of these mounts have printed designs on them with �JF� printed on them that I assume means these were Fallowfield mounts. I have a small number of ferrotypes in my collection that I attach. The one with a child on a donkey was in a case with and oval mount and was probably taken by the wet collodion method (figure 1). All the others are card types and were taken between World War I and World War II. The one with a house in the background is believed to be taken in Lowestoft. The images are very dark but have been tweaked in photo editing software. [Godfrey]
Godfrey, Paul. E-mail message, June 7,2912. Pendrich, Ernest. The Magic Box. Pendrigh wrote his autobiography in the 1950s. It hads a wealth of information on tin-types.
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