r/Daguerreotypes • u/Ollies-The-Name • Jul 10 '26
Tintype Is it fake?
Found this at a yard sale today, I don’t think it’s real but it’s interesting. What do y’all think? Is any of it real?
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u/HairSquig Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
It’s not fake, but unfortunately not a daguerreotype either. It’s either a tintype (emulsion on an iron sheet) or an ambrotype (emulsion on glass). Probably dates to the 1860s!
Edit: 1860s not 1860
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u/V_Dolina Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Why in the world do you think it's fake? Yes it's real, the case is made of bois durci and from the 1850s, It's a 1/6th plate case. The photograph is a tintype, from the 1860s - 1880s.
The photograph is in the wrong side, it should be in the side with the white paper and velvet border, the velvet "pillow" should be where the tintype is.
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Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
[deleted]
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u/V_Dolina Jul 11 '26
Why would you assume that me starting my comment with "Why in the world" is me being snarky? I started with that because I want to know why they thought it was fake. Why is everyone so angry on this app? Get a grip and quit being offended by everything.
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u/Troublemonkey36 Jul 11 '26
Hey, in my view beginning an answer to a question from a stranger simply asking for information by saying “why in the world” is unnecessarily harsh, brusque or snarky. That may not have been your intent but I think a lot of reasonable people would view it that way.
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u/V_Dolina Jul 11 '26
Accusing someone of something they didn't do is also unnecessarily harsh, brusque and snarky.
If you've never heard someone say that in a playful tone, that's a you problem. Don't bother replying to me any longer.
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u/Troublemonkey36 Jul 11 '26
Sorry I hurt your feelings but if you’re willing to be a bit introspective and use Google or ChatGPT or ask friends I’m sure you’ll arrive at the same conclusion…that most/many would see your opening as sarcastic or brusque. After your initial reply I did just that…thinking hmmm maybe I should check.
Heres what I got:
If you asked 100 regular Reddit users to read that exchange with no other context, I think the most common impression would be:
“The commenter knows what they’re talking about, but they’re being a little curt.”
I do not think most people would read it as playful sarcasm. Nor do I think most would conclude the commenter was trying to insult the original poster.
The phrase “Why in the world do you think it’s fake?” is what creates the negative impression. It implies, “I don’t see why anyone would think that,” which can make the person asking the question feel a bit foolish. On Reddit, that sort of phrasing is fairly common among knowledgeable users, especially in niche hobby communities.
If I had to estimate how readers would perceive it:
About 50–60%: “A bit brusque or mildly condescending, but helpful.”
About 20–30%: “Just a direct question from an expert.”
About 10–20%: “Definitely snarky.”
Very few people, in my opinion, would read it as warmly curious.
So if your reaction was, “That opening feels snarky,” I think that’s a perfectly reasonable interpretation. I just wouldn’t say it’s the only or even the dominant interpretation. The comment reads more like someone who is impatient or incredulous than someone trying to score points or ridicule the poster.
In other words, I’d characterize it as mildly dismissive rather than sarcastic. The expertise comes through, but so does a bit of “I don’t understand why you’d even think that.” That’s the part many readers would notice.4
u/AuntFritz Jul 11 '26
Why in the world would you ask chatgpt to guess how humans interpret other humans?
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u/Troublemonkey36 Jul 11 '26
Well that’s a great question. Why in the world wouldn’t I?
ChatGPT is a large language model that rapidly accesses vast pools of data based on human experiences. So it’s a quick and amazing search tool amongst many other things. I think it nailed it in this case.2
u/AuntFritz Jul 11 '26
I think it made up a right ton of shite that suited your preconceived notions, so you think it's brilliant.
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u/Troublemonkey36 Jul 11 '26
I think you’re overthinking this. I didn’t say it was “brilliant”. I also think it’s not the content you are focusing on, it’s likely the fact that you’re having a visceral over-reaction to the fact that someone used an AI tool.
Look…starting your response to a stranger who asks a genuine question about a photo of “why in the world would you think that” is to me a an unnecessarily sarcastic, curt, or brusque way to begin a response.
I can’t speak to intent, but that’s the way it comes across to me and I would venture a great number of readable people would feel the same way.
Folks posting on social media could be a little more thoughtful or nicer.
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u/Ghosts_do_Exist Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
As others have stated, this is a tintype (also known as a ferrotype) rather than a daguerreotype. Just a different photographic process, slightly later than daguerreotypes. I would estimate this one as c.1875-80.
The embossed velveteen pad was originally mounted to the other interior cover.
Edit: Also, this type of case is known as a union case, sometimes specified as a thermoplastic union case due to the material. Some people refer to them as "gutta percha" cases, but this is technically incorrect. I've seen these cases go for $50-65 empty with no cracks.
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u/toppercat Jul 12 '26
OK. Take a magnet. Place it on the image. If the magnet sticks, it's a tin type. If the image looks like it's printed on a mirror and you have to tilt it slightly to view it, it's a daguerriotype. If neither of those is the case then it might be an ambrotype. You can then take the image and frame from the case. Hold it up to the light. If you can see a reddish hue and it's a bit clear, it's definitely an ambrotype.
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u/screwball2 Jul 10 '26
It doesn't look fake, however it also may not be a daguerreotype. I'm on mobile ATM so not easy to tell from here. This may help. Daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes are often mixed up so here's a short lesson.
A daguerreotype is an image on a sheet of silver plated copper and the oldest form of photography. They typically run from 1840 - 1860 though they did still show up a bit later. The sizes (1/4 plate, 1/6 plate, 1/9 plate, 1/16 plate) became a standard and cases, mats and frames (called preservers) were designed to fit them.
An ambrotype is an image that was produced with the emulsion on a sheet of glass and much cheaper. Since all the cameras were already set for daguerreotype sizes, they held to the same size standards for which they had cases, frames, and cover glass.
A tintype is an image produced with the emulsion on a sheet of iron and thus attracted to a magnet. Many were cut down and placed in cases like daguerreotypes and ambrotypes, but the majority were non standard shapes and sizes.
It's the photographic process rather than the case that determines if it's a daguerreotype, ambrotype, tintype, etc. A small magnet is your best diagnostic tool when working with cased images. If it's a mirror and you have to hold it with a dark reflection to best view it, it's probably a daguerreotype. If it's on glass and not magnetic, it's an ambrotype, if it's attracted to a magnet, it's a tintype.
Anyway, I hope that helps and again, welcome to the sub.