FORWARDED WITH PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR MESSAGE DATED 2 Jun 1998, SUBJECT: Genealogical Speech - Duerrogotype Pictures/Tintypes [Modified] > Dating Old Photographs > > 1840 - 1850 Daguerreotype - Copper plated with silver. Highly > reflective, changes > from negative to positive as image is tilted. Usually in a case, > protected by glass. > > 1854-1881 Ambrotype - a negative on glass, placed against a black > background (cloth or paper, or sometimes back of glass varnished with > black.) Appears positive, > lacks shadows and contrast. Sometimes tinted. Usually in a glassed case. > > 1856-1920 Ferrotype/Tintype - Actually iron, not tin. Various sizes, > including > miniatures. Darker, sometimes chocolate brown and sometimes also in > case. > > 1865 + Stereographs - "3-D" pictures when looked at > through a stereoscope. Two pictures on a card that appear to be > identical. > > late 1890s Lantern slides - forerunners of today's film slides. The > photographic > emulsion was painted on glass plates which after exposed and processed > could be > used to project pictures on a wall or screen. > > 1860-1890 Albumin prints - egg white was part of the emulsion, painted > onto the > paper, exposed, and then processed. Although a coating was put over the > image > and sometimes it was burnished to a sheen, it can be differentiated from > the > collodion print by examination under microscope. The albumin print will > show > the fibers of the paper. Usually cream-colored paper with brown or > bronze > image. > > 1885-1920 Collodion prints - Look very similar to albumin prints but > under the > microscope, the surface is glazed with none of the paper fibers showing. > > 1842-1870's Cyanotypes (Blue prints) - blue image hue. Fairly popular > since it was > easy to process. > > 1880's-1920's Photo postcards - sometimes mailed. Look for postmark. > > 1880s - 1950's Black and White "snapshots" - photography became > something > everyone could do. At first, the camera, film & all mailed to Eastman > Kodak. > Earlier snapshots produced round pictures. > > 1950s - present Colored "snapshots". > > > Identifying Family Members in Old Photographs > > 1. Sort out photos > a. Same individual together > b. Sort by approximate date or in sequence > 2. Ask older family members to help name individuals > 3. Examine background, look for growth of trees at same setting, age of > children, studio settings of like nature > 4. Note order in which filed in photo album. Husband/wife together? > Children not yet > born? > 5. Note props or activities of individuals in order to "flesh out" your > family members > lives. ------------------------- (Mary A. Grindol <[email protected]> Mary Alice Benedict Grindol, Editor FULLER-BUTTON FAMILY NEWSLETTER THE KALAMAZOO VALLEY [Michigan] HERITAGE BENEDICT FAMILY HISTORY NEWS e-mail: <[email protected]>) -------------------------