Thought you might be interested in this article. Freida ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From Ancestry Daily News 8/26/04 Saving Family Treasures: Cased Photographs � Maureen A. Taylor Two people today asked for information about cased photographs of their family, so I thought it would make a good topic for this column. Many people are unaware of the type of images issued in cases, and there is also great confusion about such images' care and storage. Let's start by identifying the images themselves. There are three types of nineteenth-century photographs commonly found in cases. Occasionally you'll see a paper photograph in a case, but it's usually because it has replaced an earlier image. Daguerreotype (1839-1860s) Recognizable due to their shiny metal surface, daguerreotypes are America's first photographs. You have to hold these images at an angle in order to look at them. If you've never seen one, check out the online exhibit at The Daguerreian Society website. Members of this organization are collectors, historians, and admirers of these early images. It's a stunning collection! No matter how tempted you are to take a daguerreotype apart--don't. The image sits on the surface of the metal plate. If you wipe the plate, you'll destroy the image. Each daguerreotype is one of a kind. Ambrotype (invented 1854) Ambrotypes are a negative image on glass. When backed with a dark-colored fabric, paper, or varnish they appear positive. You can find examples of ambrotypes online at the Library of Congress, American Memory site by searching for the term �ambrotype.� Ambrotypes are very fragile: the glass is susceptible to breakage, and the backing and photo layer have a tendency to flake off. I don't recommend taking these images out of their case because you can cause damage to the glass and the picture. Ferreotype or Tintypes (invented 1856) Tintypes were extremely popular during the Civil War period. Itinerant photographers traveled with the troops so that soldiers could send pictures of themselves home with their letters. While these metal photographs were commonly known as tintypes, the images are actually on iron. Photographers sold them in a variety of formats and enclosures from cases to paper mats or even alone. It's easy to confuse an ambrotype and a tintype in case, but you can clarify the identification by using a magnet. These early photographs are amazingly resilient. Most of the tintypes I've seen look battered from years of mishandling, yet the image remains visible. Tintypes have a tendency to rust when exposed to water or high humidity, and the varnish coating used to protect them can darken with age. Case Composition Manufacturers made cases in different sizes, shapes, and formats. In the 1840s and 1850s most cases were wood, but basically any material could be used to manufacture a case. Sturdier models known as �union cases� consisted of gutta percha, a type of tree resin that could be molded and hardened. All cased images consist of various pieces--a fabric liner, a mat (that resembles a picture frame), a glass covering to protect the image, and a preserver (a thin embossed strip of brass that frames the glass and keeps everything firmly in the case). Individuals uncertain of when a cased image was taken can date the mat and case design in addition to looking at the photographic method and fashion details. A classic guide to case styles is Floyd and Marion Rinhart's American Miniature Case Art. It's out-of-print, but some large libraries have a copy. I purchased mine through a used-book dealer. Adele Kenny's Photographic Cases: Victorian Design Sources, 1840-1870 (Schiffer, $59.95) is still available. Storage Cases vary in their fragility based on the construction materials. Generally wooden and paper cases deteriorate with use and over time. Gutta percha cases can chip and break if dropped or mishandled. I suggest storing each cased image in separate small storage boxes if possible. Several companies manufacture acid- and lignin-free boxes with reinforced corners, including Light Impressions, Hollinger, and Metal Edge. All of these companies sell boxes in a wide variety of sizes. I've used hinged microfiche boxes for a couple of my own images. If you can't locate a manufacturer who sells boxes to accommodate a single case, try to minimize the number of images kept together. See my earlier column �A Case of Mistaken Identity� for specifications. Using a single cased photograph per box makes keeping together the identification and image a cinch. It's difficult to label an image in a case. You can't adhere a label to it with glue without damaging the enclosure. Rubber bands deteriorate and cause abrasive damage. It's much easier to purchase individual boxes than risk losing the identification. Use a pencil or an �archival� marker to write the identification on the exterior of the box. Please take care of your early photographs. I've seen too many discarded because they are damaged and unidentified. In an earlier column, �Revolutionary Pictures," I discussed my efforts to preserve the Revolutionary War generation in photographs. Many of these individuals appear in daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes. If you have a preservation question, please send it to me at [email protected] with �Saving Family Treasures� in the subject line. --------------------------------- Maureen A. Taylor is the author of Preserving Your Family Photographs (Betterway, 2001) and Scrapbooking Your Family History (Betterway, 2003).

Freida Thanks for the item on photography----I find it very interesting---and educational. You're a blessing and I don't tell you how much I appreciate your efforts......I really do........... yore cuzzin Sam ----- Original Message ----- From: "Freida Wells" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, September 03, 2004 4:31 PM Subject: [JOB] Saving Family Treasures: Cased Photographs > Thought you might be interested in this article. > > Freida > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- > > >From Ancestry Daily News 8/26/04 > > Saving Family Treasures: Cased Photographs > - Maureen A. Taylor > > > Two people today asked for information about cased photographs of their family, so I thought it would make a good topic for this column. Many people are unaware of the type of images issued in cases, and there is also great confusion about such images' care and storage. Let's start by identifying the images themselves. There are three types of nineteenth-century photographs commonly found in cases. Occasionally you'll see a paper photograph in a case, but it's usually because it has replaced an earlier image. > > Daguerreotype (1839-1860s) > Recognizable due to their shiny metal surface, daguerreotypes are America's first photographs. You have to hold these images at an angle in order to look at them. If you've never seen one, check out the online exhibit at The Daguerreian Society website. Members of this organization are collectors, historians, and admirers of these early images. It's a stunning collection! > > No matter how tempted you are to take a daguerreotype apart--don't. The image sits on the surface of the metal plate. If you wipe the plate, you'll destroy the image. Each daguerreotype is one of a kind. > > Ambrotype (invented 1854) > Ambrotypes are a negative image on glass. When backed with a dark-colored fabric, paper, or varnish they appear positive. You can find examples of ambrotypes online at the Library of Congress, American Memory site by searching for the term "ambrotype." > > Ambrotypes are very fragile: the glass is susceptible to breakage, and the backing and photo layer have a tendency to flake off. I don't recommend taking these images out of their case because you can cause damage to the glass and the picture. > > Ferreotype or Tintypes (invented 1856) > Tintypes were extremely popular during the Civil War period. Itinerant photographers traveled with the troops so that soldiers could send pictures of themselves home with their letters. While these metal photographs were commonly known as tintypes, the images are actually on iron. Photographers sold them in a variety of formats and enclosures from cases to paper mats or even alone. It's easy to confuse an ambrotype and a tintype in case, but you can clarify the identification by using a magnet. > > These early photographs are amazingly resilient. Most of the tintypes I've seen look battered from years of mishandling, yet the image remains visible. Tintypes have a tendency to rust when exposed to water or high humidity, and the varnish coating used to protect them can darken with age. > > Case Composition > Manufacturers made cases in different sizes, shapes, and formats. In the 1840s and 1850s most cases were wood, but basically any material could be used to manufacture a case. Sturdier models known as "union cases" consisted of gutta percha, a type of tree resin that could be molded and hardened. > > All cased images consist of various pieces--a fabric liner, a mat (that resembles a picture frame), a glass covering to protect the image, and a preserver (a thin embossed strip of brass that frames the glass and keeps everything firmly in the case). > > Individuals uncertain of when a cased image was taken can date the mat and case design in addition to looking at the photographic method and fashion details. A classic guide to case styles is Floyd and Marion Rinhart's American Miniature Case Art. It's out-of-print, but some large libraries have a copy. I purchased mine through a used-book dealer. Adele Kenny's Photographic Cases: Victorian Design Sources, 1840-1870 (Schiffer, $59.95) is still available. > > Storage > Cases vary in their fragility based on the construction materials. Generally wooden and paper cases deteriorate with use and over time. Gutta percha cases can chip and break if dropped or mishandled. > > I suggest storing each cased image in separate small storage boxes if possible. Several companies manufacture acid- and lignin-free boxes with reinforced corners, including Light Impressions, Hollinger, and Metal Edge. All of these companies sell boxes in a wide variety of sizes. I've used hinged microfiche boxes for a couple of my own images. If you can't locate a manufacturer who sells boxes to accommodate a single case, try to minimize the number of images kept together. See my earlier column "A Case of Mistaken Identity" for specifications. > > Using a single cased photograph per box makes keeping together the identification and image a cinch. It's difficult to label an image in a case. You can't adhere a label to it with glue without damaging the enclosure. Rubber bands deteriorate and cause abrasive damage. It's much easier to purchase individual boxes than risk losing the identification. Use a pencil or an "archival" marker to write the identification on the exterior of the box. > > Please take care of your early photographs. I've seen too many discarded because they are damaged and unidentified. > > In an earlier column, "Revolutionary Pictures," I discussed my efforts to preserve the Revolutionary War generation in photographs. Many of these individuals appear in daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes. > > If you have a preservation question, please send it to me at [email protected] with "Saving Family Treasures" in the subject line. > > --------------------------------- > > > Maureen A. Taylor is the author of Preserving Your Family Photographs (Betterway, 2001) and Scrapbooking Your Family History (Betterway, 2003). > > >