Category Archives: Tintypes

June 3, 2015

The city father and his two dapper sons

By C.E. Ryan
1880s tintype. Private Collection.

1880s tintype. Private Collection.

This one made me laugh some. The father in top hat looks quite stiff looking straight to the side, while his two sons didn’t miss the camera, each posing with confidence.

The one in the middle who appears to be the oldest of the two looks casual of demeanor, relaxed even with a smirk on his face. The youngest -I wouldn’t put past 16- is taking this occasion seriously, strutting his stuff in fine evening wear with the nice white tie. What a dandy!

The dad’s gloves are so tight fitting they look painted on.

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Groups, Tintypes

June 1, 2015

1890s Bohemia II

By C.E. Ryan
1890s duo. Tintype. Private Collection.

1890s duo. Tintype. Private Collection.

Here’s that little bowtie/tie combo I first found here.

In fact this tintype reminds me a lot of the other. They’d get along quite fine with the other pair! Both gents here have their hair parted in the middle too, they’re not wearing waistcoats either and they wear the same laced up shoes and look similar overall…

Here on the other hand, these two are not shy stacking legs!

3 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Gay Interest, Tintypes

May 28, 2015

‘Drink this, it’ll put hair on your chest, son.’

By C.E. Ryan
Father and son in top hats. Tintype. Private Collection.

Father and son in top hats with a stiff drink. Private Collection.

Teaching the boy the grown-up ways! This father is posing with his little man with the adult sized top hat on his head, and he’s acting like he’s going to share a stiff drink with him. He found it humorous to pose with his son this way, and I do too! His son is holding on to the hat and looking at the bottle with keen interest!

After the picture I see the dad giving a sip to his eager boy and laughing at his reaction, and the little one saying “Eww…how can you drink this, dad?!”.

This tintype is quite endearing, and -bonus!- it has top hats. The father has that cheeky Harrison Ford smile too, doesn’t he?

It’s easy to imagine the son holding on to this photograph throughout his life, and with a fond memory of that day.

Creative Commons License
Digital restoration work titled “Drink This, It’ll Put Hair On Your Chest Son” by Caroline C. Ryan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Boys, Groups, Humorous, Tintypes

May 20, 2015

1850s moody Victorian young man in Union case.

By C.E. Ryan
Private Collection

1860s tintype of young moody man. Private Collection

Excuse the somewhat terrible iPhone photo. The actual tintype looks so much better. The case has a lovely leather backing and measures 3″ 1/4 by 3″ 1/2. The picture is very sharp and this photo doesn’t do it justice; there is no shadow to the left and it misses out on all the lovely details of the hat, bow and brocade waistcoat.

This young sitter has a very moody expression and almost looks disdainful -something that is more easily seen with the naked eye. The hat with the side flaps is interesting. He’s wearing a large bowtie worn over the coat. This was most likely taken anywhere between the mid 1850s and 1860s.

Definitely a favorite of the period. This one came from an antique dealer in Alabama.

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Teens, Tintypes

May 15, 2015

Bowler wearing men from the back

By C.E. Ryan
1890s-1900s Tintype.

1890s-1900s Tintype.

The same two men from the front after the cut.
Continue reading

7 Comments   |  tags: , | posted in Groups, Tintypes