What is a Tintype?

In 1856 Hamilton L. Smith of Ohio patented a new photographic method that came to be known as tintype. These one-of-a-kind images are made directly on a thin iron plate that has been coated with chemicals, exposed in a camera while still wet, and developed on the spot. Tintypes became very popular during the Civil War and remained so into the 20th century until newer processes that could produce multiple images took over.

The Project

With support from Frost Bank, photographer Robb Kendrick traveled across the state in 2004 and 2005 in a project called The Character of Texas Expedition. His objective was to photograph working cowboys in an effort to create a body of art work that captures the “character of Texas.” He wanted to document the continuation in the 21st century of key aspects of character—honesty, sense of humor, work ethic, and determination—that were fundamental on the range and have remained as the indigenous values of the state. Robb uses the tintype process in part because he feels this technique allows the subjects of the photographs to “reveal” themselves during long exposures. Frost Bank, through a partnership with Texas Monthly, is sharing these tintypes in the magazine, as well as in a traveling exhibition across the state.

Suggested Activities

Note to Educators: These activities may be adapted for a variety of age groups and disciplines. Where applicable, TEKS have been noted.

Resources: The exhibition, Revealing Character: Robb Kendrick’s Texas Tintypes. The book, Revealing Character: Texas Tintypes published by Bright Sky Press (brightskypress.com). The Web site: www.revealing-character.com. See the Web site for an itinerary of the exhibition, which will be traveling around the state, and for reproductions of the tintypes them-selves. The Web site contains even more resource information for you and your students.

Discussion Starters

• Discuss character in the classroom. What can you tell about a person’s character by viewing a photograph of him? Each tintype has “Field Notes” associated with it that express the cowboy’s philosophy of life. Without reading the field notes, look at two tintypes and analyze what you see. Then, read the field notes and compare your impressions with that given in the cowboy’s own words. Do the field notes help you understand his character or could you determine some of the same qualities just by looking at the tintype? Give an oral report on your findings.
SS.23.9 B

• Discuss similarities and differences in all of the tintypes.
Art.17.1 A-B; Art.17.2 A-B

• Some of these modern cowboys look as if they could have been from the 1800s. How has life changed for a cowboy? Research the effects of modern medicine, transportation, and globalization on the cowboy life. Determine if the cowboy life is easier or harder than it was 130 years ago.
SS.6.4 B; SS.6.5 A; SS.6.13 A-F;SS.23.6 A-B; LA.42.1 C

Critical Thinking

• Research Texas cattle drives such as the Goodnight-Loving Trail, the Western Trail, the Chisholm Trail, and the Shawnee Trail. Write about where they started, the number of miles in each, how long it would take to travel them, where the final destinations were, how long they were in use, and what led to their abandonment.
SS.6.4 B; SS.23.6 A-B

• Make a timeline of events that changed and helped shape the lives of the Texas cowboy. Be sure to include factors such as Texas’s independence from Mexico, trail drives, barbed wire, the railroad, and modern transportation among other things. Write about how these changes impacted modern cowboys.
SS.6.4 A-C; SS.5.5 A; SS.23.6 B;SS.23.7 A-B;SS.23.11 C-D; SS.23.13 A; SS.23.21 B

• Study some cowgirls in Texas history (e.g., Johanna July, Henrietta King, Molly Goodnight, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Johnson Williams, and Margaret Borland). Compare their lives to those of the women depicted in the tintypes, as understood from their field notes.
SS.6.20 C;SS.23.6 A

• Compare two photographs from an artistic point of view. Point out the differences and similarities (value, composition, subject, mood, etc).
SS.23.21 E

• Locate the ranches on a map. How can weather and terrain affect a cowboy’s life?
SS.6.6 A-B; SS.6.22 F; SS.23.9 B-C

• Read about the work cowboys do, then find procedures in a cowboy’s day that have not changed over the last century. Even for modern cowboys, the life is very dangerous. Discuss some of the hazards of working on a ranch. Look at some of the cowboys’ statements for first-hand accounts.
SS.6.13 A-B, E; SS.23.20 A, D

Writing

• Pick one photograph that speaks to you. Write a story about that person’s typical day as a modern cowboy/cowgirl. Then, write a story about a typical day for a cowboy in the 1870’s. Compare the two.
LA.5.14 A-C

• Read some cowboy poetry then write some of your own.
SS.23.21 D; LA.5.14 D; LA.42.1 A

• Write down everything you notice in the same tintype in 30 seconds and compare your findings with those of your class-mates. Look again to see what you did not notice the first time. (This is a great exercise in perception.)
LA.5.14 B; LA.42.1 A

• Write metaphors about the character of the subjects in three different tintypes. Read them to your classmates and have them guess which metaphor matches which photograph.
LA.42.1 A

Oral Presentations

• Take an oral history from a cowboy in your own area. Before you start, write down some of your questions. Tape record the session and present a summary to the class.
SS.23.22 D

• Make a presentation about cowboy wardrobe.
SS.23.22 D

• Find a photograph that is particularly interesting to you. Think about what makes that tintype so fascinating. Present your thoughts before the class, stating specific reasons for your impressions.
SS.6.23 C-E; SS.23.22 D

• Write and present a persuasive speech about being a cowboy in 2005. Use the field notes as well as the tintypes to help convince others to become cowboys.
SS.6.23 B-E; SS.23.22 D

Hands-on Activities

• Research how film or prepared plates capture images when exposed to the sun. Use blue Nature Print® paper to demonstrate this phenomenon.
Art.32.1 A-B; Art.32.2 B-C; Art.54.1 A; Art.54.2 A-C; Art.54.3 A

• Bring cowboy clothing and props to class. Make digital photographs of your classmates and print on regular copying paper on a color printer. Experiment with color dyes to make the images look more like a tintype. Write about why a cowboy would wear various articles of clothing. Make a report on your findings, using the photograph and your essay.
Art.32.1 A-B; Art.32.2 A-C; Art.32.3 A; Art.32.4 A-B; Art.54.1A-B; Art.54.2 A-C; Art.54.3 A; Art.54.4 B

• Make a pin-hole camera. Look at the projected image to see it reversed, as Robb Kendrick sees when looking through his view camera to make tintypes.
Art.32.2 C; Art.32.4 A; Art.54.1 A; Art.54.2 A, C

The Process of Making a Tintype

The chemicals Robb Kendrick uses are the same chemicals used in the 19th century:

• Collodion (gun cotton and ether) - the emulsion on the plate that holds the image.
• Silver nitrate - used to coat the plate so it will be light-sensitive.
• Iron sulfate/Everclear mixture - used to develop the plate after exposure.
• Potassium cyanide - used to fix the plate and turn it into a positive.
• Lavender varnish - used after the plate is washed and dried to protect the plate and give it a rich tonality and sheen.

In Robb’s own words, here is how the process goes from start to finish:

I first flow the collodion onto a blackened tin plate, then place it in silver nitrate for four to six minutes. While the plate is sensitizing I check focus on the camera and get the camera ready as well as the subject, also determining—based on light conditions—how long to make the exposure. Next I remove the plate from the silver nitrate tank, dry off any excess silver nitrate, place it in the holder (which is light-tight), and bring it out to the camera. Once removed from the silver nitrate, the plate must be exposed and developed in four to nine minutes—hence the name “wet-plate photography.” I place the holder in the camera, pull out the darkslide, which has been protecting the plate from light, and remove the lens cover to make the exposure (1-14 seconds). Then I replace the lens cover, push the darkslide back down, remove the holder from the camera, and go back to the darkroom trailer.

Once inside, I flow the collodion onto the next plate and place it in the silver nitrate (to save down time). I then remove the plate that was just exposed from the holder and place it in the developer for 15-25 seconds; then I place it in three trays of water for 20 seconds each to stop the development process and wash out any developer that might be in the emulsion. All the above steps are done while under amber safelight conditions. At this point I can turn the light on and place the plate in the potassium cyanide for 30 seconds. The tintype transforms from a bluish image on a plate to a positive in the clear tank. It really is magical every time. After the cyanide fixer, I must carefully clean off any residue of silver nitrate from the image so the wet emulsion is not scratched. I wash the plate thoroughly, dry it, and put it up into the drying rack.

After a full day of shooting, we wrap up by breaking down the darkroom, filtering all chemicals before the next day’s shoot. We then have dinner, drive to our next shoot, park where we are going to camp for the night, and then I usually go into the darkroom trailer to varnish the plates. I heat each tintype with a torch and pour a lavender varnish onto the surface of the plate, tipping the excess back into a bottle. I hold the plate and heat it with a torch for two minutes to dry the varnish. After shooting 30-40 plates in a day, it takes about three hours per night to varnish the plates. The plates are then rack-dried for two days to cure the varnish. At that point they are ready and I place them in protective sleeves.

Torching the plate