Actual size 1" x 1 1/2"
This tintype lies in between the standard gem and a
sixteenth plate in size, measuring 1” x 1 1/2” . Smaller tintypes became quite popular as they could be produced
more cheaply and in larger numbers, on one plate, with the advent of
“multiplying” cameras (introduced in the mid 1850s).
The tintype, introduced in 1856, was more
commonly referred to as a ferrotype, not actually a photograph on tin, but on a
thin iron sheet that has a japanned surface. As CDVs, cabinet cards and larger
format photographs on paper gained in popularity, tintypes quickly fell out of
favor.
We have seen roughly twelve to eighteen football
tintypes as compared with the many thousands of baseball tintypes that have been
documented or have come on the market over the years. The reasons for this are
in part related to baseball's earlier beginnings and prevalence, preceding the
advent of football in this country by well over a decade and its notable rise in
popularity by as many as three decades.
During the first decades of baseball the tintype
was a major photographic format. When football was taking hold and establishing
its place in the sporting hierarchy, photographs on paper media were the
predominant photographic formats. Sports related gem sized tintypes are certainly scarce,
as this is the only example we have come across.
I would also recommend looking at two of our other
blog entries related to football tintypes (August 11, 2013 and November 3,
2014).
