Vintage Photograph Gallery
~ A History of Photography - HOME
* Most images displayed here were taken from various web sources. Due to unverifiable histories, many vintage photos are generally considered public domain property, but if you find an image here that you feel is being displayed in violation of a copyright, please contact JWM@Fotomaestro.com, and it will be removed immediately.
The daguerréotype ~
It must be one of the greatest ironies of all time that the first practical photograph also has the distinction of being virtually unmatchable in overall clarity and quality almost until the present day.
This portrait of a sailor and his son is a perfect example of just how excellent a daguerréotype could be. Even displayed on a computer screen, and greatly reduced in size, it's remarkable, almost three dimensional quality is evident.
The tintype ~
Most likely this portrait of Billy the Kid is a tintype - one of the daguerréotypes markedly inferior predecessors. Even looking beyond the age deterioration of the photo, we can easily see the quality was poor from the day it was created.
The ambrotype ~

This example may, or may not be an actual ambrotype. Since It was common to display the three aforementioned photograph types in decorative, yet protective gilt

and leather folders, it's impossible to tell one type from the other with just a small jpg sample. In many cases, only an expert appraisal could tell you for certain.

The key to telling the three types apart is their respective print and folder quality. Ambrotype overall quality will usually lie somewhere in the middle range.
I'll be adding more to this gallery in a few days - JWM 7/28/04
Foto Maestro Digital Imaging