1870s-1880s Man in drag. Private Collection.
I got hold of this unique tintype by pure luck…Those are very rare as you can imagine. No bowler or high collar on this cross-dresser but a huge bowtie over a fur coat, a woman’s hat with side gemstones and a confident smile. An amazing find.
Tintype
Two friends posing together toasting to a beer. This tintype is available on eBay. A great tintype for any collector.
A very unusual and humorous tintype I wish I had in my collection. This teen is holding a doll in his arm with a cigar in the mouth, and is smiling with mirth while doing so. The cheeks were tinted by the studio artist. This was usually done in watercolors or oils.
A little fun fact: tintypes are mirror images of their subjects, so you’re looking at the reverse image of him as he was holding the doll with his left arm.
Cabinet card. Private Collection.
There’s something about him. Maybe because the cabinet card is so crisp, but he looks very contemporary. Anyhow, a very beautiful cabinet card from the 1900s. The picture takes the whole card, a good 4″ x 6″.
Can someone enlighten me on the style of hat he’s wearing? Is it a conductor cap? A miner cap? Note the high shine shoes.
Photographer: Unknown. Black card with bevelled gold edges. Both front and back are blank. A shame I will never know because the photographer did a fine job with this one.
Artistic portrait. 1/6th plate Tintype. Private Collection.
Around the 1880s some tintype photographers became more artistic with poses, and the backgrounds could be busy with many artifacts like tree branches made to look like trees or fences, etc…and in this case, reed.
Bowlers And High Collars 