Hello list, since so have been searching NEFF surname, I found this from Julia Case's Rootsweb Review, Vol. 3, # 4 Always, Imo **PAID ADVERTISEMENT** The earliest experiments with a tintype style process occurred in France in 1853, but it took the ingenuity of an American to bring the process to market in the United States. In 1856, Peter Neff filed a patent for the new process of direct positive photography which utilized tin plates as the receiving base. That same year he opened the very first tintype production plant in the United States located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Anxious to capture the market for this exciting new technology, Neff rushed headlong into mass production. But the breakneck speed of expansion came to a startling stop when within a few short months of opening, disaster struck. With the mortar still damp from construction, this shining gem of Cincinnati's burgeoning "high technology" enterprises was devastated by a colossal fire. The fire-fighting brigades could do little more than keep a safe distance as the flames quickly consumed the entire facility. Distraught, Neff abandoned Cincinnati and soon opened a second factory, this time in Middleton, Connecticut, nearer the rapidly expanding Eastern markets. Tintypes were the most popular means of inexpensively capturing photographic records, and the market virtually exploded with the onslaught of the Civil War in 1861. Because of their economy and durability, they quickly became the most popular means for soldiers on both sides of the line to exchange images with loved ones through the mail. For the most part, tintype photographs are quite sharp due to the fact that the metal plate captured the image directly from the lens (no negative is created with the tintype). These inexpensive photographic plates were often used to record people and events in a more casual fashion and this gives many tintypes the special charm of often capturing events in a less staged or posed fashion. As they age, tintypes frequently suffer from severe darkening and oxidation, which sometimes presents substantial difficulties in the restoration process. Yet, in most cases, the image is in sharp focus allowing very successful results. You can learn more about the history of photography, as well as the care of heirloom photographs by visiting <http://www.photorevival.com/> **END PAID ADVERTISMENT** MAILING LISTS. For an index to most genealogy mailing lists hosted Imo Lee Card Greenwood Searching surnames: ACUFF, BARLOW, BAYNES, BIRD(BYRD), CARD, GREER, LAMB ODOM , RENFRO, SHOEMATE, THOMAS. My Husbands: GREENWOOD, KITZMILLER, CULP