“Courage Under Fire: A Journey for the Bold”

By BILL CASTANIER

President Abraham Lincoln, abolitionist Frederick Douglass, outlaw Billy the Kid, and assassin John Wilkes Booth all posed (or stood) for tintype photographs; however, so did countless Union and Confederate soldiers before embarking on perilous battlefields.

In his 2023 book, “Lansing and the Civil War,” local historian Matthew VanAcker emphasizes an advertisement from the August 13, 1862, Lansing State Republican promoting Lansing photographer Phillip Engelhart, stating, “We assume no one will let their friends depart for war without exchanging images with them beforehand. To think otherwise would be foolish.”

The tintype method was patented in 1856, but its fame surged due to the Civil War. Tintypes made photography and artistic portraiture accessible—members of the labor class could possess an image of themselves, a companion, or a relative in their hands. Numerous accounts exist of deceased Civil War soldiers clutching a tintype of a cherished one.

On Civil War battlegrounds, soldiers would queue for tintypes taken by traveling photographers who followed the military campaigns in their wagons. After the conflict, the Wild West provided ample opportunities for tintype photographers, whose images were frequently utilized on wanted posters and as mugshots. Billy the Kid was photographed in a notable tintype after being captured by his adversary, Sheriff Pat Garrett.

Several features of tintype photography contributed to its widespread appeal. The images were quicker to capture and process, less costly to acquire (as little as 25 cents depending on size), and more resilient since they were printed on metal. They were available in various dimensions, with most soldiers opting for a size they could comfortably hold.

Like most photographic techniques, the popularity of tintype photography endured for only a few decades before being supplanted by carte-de-visite photography and subsequently Kodak’s “snapshot” photography.

Nevertheless, itinerant photographers sustained the process through horse-drawn darkrooms, which they transported to county fairs. Tintype photographers would also seasonally establish their setups at Coney Island and other seaside resorts.

Locally, longtime professional photographer and videographer Raymond Holt, who was affiliated with Michigan State University, Lansing Community College, and the state of Michigan until his retirement in 2018, has contributed to bringing the photographic process into the 21st century, a time when digital photography allows anyone to capture numerous images within seconds.

Holt has constructed a studio and development lab in his home’s basement and has “refined” the technique for his own pleasure and profit through experimentation. He has also equipped a trailer for offsite tintype photography. He accepts commission work and can be reached at [email protected]. Examples of his work, aside from those accompanying this article, can be found on Instagram at
instagram.com/solas_tintype.

To craft a tintype, a metal plate coated with dark enamel is trimmed to the desired size. The plate is then coated with collodion, a viscous emulsion of ether and alcohol to which silver nitrate is added. The coated plate is placed in a holder, which gets inserted into the back of a large camera. The subject must remain completely still for up to 15 seconds in a sunny studio or just a few seconds outdoors on a bright day while the photograph is being taken. Once finished, the plate is returned to the holder and developed in a chemical solution to produce a unique photograph of the subject. The entire process takes approximately 15 minutes from start to finish.

Holt still encounters challenges with the process, even after six years of taking tintype photographs.

“Creating tintypes is finicky and certainly not for the timid,” he remarked. “Every plate must be produced on-site and necessitates a darkroom of some kind wherever you go. The chemistry is sensitive to temperature and humidity; it’s very easy to unintentionally contaminate those chemicals during the procedure.

“It requires abundant light, and because the process is more sensitive to the ultraviolet spectrum of light, light meters aren’t particularly helpful,” he added. “Once that plate is exposed, there are no adjustments. Every mistake or miscalculation is captured in silver.”

Regardless, he believes the outcomes are rewarding for both himself and his clients.

“When they see their image gradually appearing from a murky haze, it truly is a ‘wow’ moment, and that is an experience we share,” he stated.

He had his own tintype camera custom-built by Arizona’s K.B. Canham Cameras Inc., which focuses on constructing large-format cameras.

Holt was motivated to explore tintype photography after viewing a tintype of his great-grandfather. He later enrolled in the esteemed Camp Tintype, led by John Coffer, a master tintype photographer operating in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

Coffer is recognized for rejuvenating interest in tintype photography. In the early 1980s, while serving as a studio photographer for bands and choirs, he visited Detroit’s Greenfield Village and was captivated by its tintype studio.

“I told myself, ‘One day, I will learn how to do that,’” Coffer recalled. He returned to the village years later, and a curator provided him a tour. He learned that just prior to the village’s inauguration in 1929, Henry Ford insisted that a tintype studio be constructed and employed Charles Tremear, a Ford Motor Co. worker, to be the photographer. This was an ideal match since Tremear had previously worked as a traveling tintype photographer before joining Ford.

In short, Coffer followed in Tremear’s footsteps, mastering the art so thoroughly that he procured a wagon, equipped it with necessary gear, and ventured to Civil War reenactments pulled by oxen.

“In the early days, there were only a handful of photographers producing tintypes,” Coffer shared. He gained such recognition that a gallery in New York City displayed his photographs, and The New York Times featured multiple articles highlighting his work and his reclusive lifestyle. His fame enabled him to establish a camp where he instructs others in the tintype photography process. Today, he estimates that thousands of tintype photographers exist.

Photos by Raymond Holt