Notes on Post-Victorian Ferrotypes

Ferrotype Semi Automatic Cameras and Formats
Advertising The Ferrotype Process
Illustrations of Ferrotype Cameras
Ferrotype Plates, Mounts, Envelopes
Brooches / Mounts for circular button positives
Positive Cards
Identifying and dating different presentations of ferrotypes

The story of the invention, introduction and spread of the ferrotype in Victorian Britain is fully described in Audrey Linkman's excellent article "Cheap Tin Trade: The Ferrotype Portrait in Victorian Britain", Photographica World, June 1994,which is reproduced here on this site with the kind permission of the Author and the original publishers, the Photographic Collectors' Club of Great Britain.

On this page we illustrate some of the ferrotype cameras and materials advertised in various photographic journals and attempt to make some sense of the different formats and presentations of ferrotypes which family and local historians may encounter, mainly from post Victorian times. The page is a work in progress and we would welcome contributions, particularly to help identify some of the formats shown.

The ferrotype enjoyed increased popularity in Britain in the 1870s and 1880s, particularly the American Gem portrait format, with a small postage stamp sized ferrotype set into a carte de visite sized mount. After this period of popularity the ferrotype, or tintype as it was also known, continued to be produced by itinerant, travelling, seaside and other while-you-wait operators, in some cases up to the 1950s. By 1941 very few advertisements could be found for ferrotype equipment and materials. By 1944 the British Journal of Photography Almanac ceased including a formula for Ferrotype Developer and Fixer in its body of useful information. Only a few ferrotype equipment adverts appeared after the end of WW2.

A small number of photographic manufacturers and suppliers offered ferrotype cameras and plates from the 1890s well into the 20th Century. These included:

• Jonathan Fallowfield, London Central Photographic Stores, 148 Charing Cross Road, London (J.F.FASA plates and Straco Ferrotype Cards)
• Sharpe and Hitchmough, 101 and 103 Dale Street, Liverpool
• W. Moore and Co, Dale Street, Liverpool
• Chicago Ferrotype Co, Chicago Buildings, Whitechapel, Liverpool; Chicago; New York
• M.Janovitch and Co, 2 Harrow Rd, London: 19 Broad Street, Golden Square London W1 (1929)
• The British Ferrotype Co, 39 Levens Grove, Blackpool.
• Moore, 5 Shipway Rd, Hay Mills, Birmingham (1908)
• Wm Ziegler 55 Berners St, Oxford Street - agents for Paragon Plates made in Frankfurt. (1911)
• Lancashire Ferrotype Co, 38 Central Drive, Blackpool (1924 - 1932) Dreadnaught brand name gelatine positive tin type plates.
• Scotch Import Co Ltd, Copenhagen (1931)
• Granville Gulliman, Leamington Spa, 57 and 58 Chancery Lane, London and 174 Corporation Street, Birmingham (1931), Ferrotype plates for while-you-wait photography.
• E.B.Fry Ltd, Malden Factory, Malden Crescent London NW (1935) Ferrotype plates
• Straight Dry Plate Co Est 1901 (1936) Jamestown New York, Straco positive photographic cards and tintype one inch buttons.

Ferrotype Semi-automatic Cameras and Formats

Below we set out some of the different semi automatic ferrotype cameras marketed in the UK from the 1890s to the 1950s. It was thought that the table might help with dating found ferrotypes, but in reality some formats, for example one inch diameter circular button plates, and 2 x 2½ inch plates, were used by multiple cameras over many years. In some other cases, with larger media, the dates when these cameras were advertised, combined with the description of the media used may help with dating surviving ferrotypes. These complicated cameras included storage of plates or buttons, an exposure mechanism and various containers for chemicals to develop, fix and wash the exposed plate. We do not have any figures for the numbers of the various different cameras produced during this period. More information on most of these cameras can be found in Colin Harding's excellent article, Photographs While-You-Wait, Photographica World  (1994-1995) issues 69, 71 and 72.

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Advertising The Ferrotype Process

In the British Journal of Photography 6 Jan 1905 p xvi, Jonathan Fallowfield advertised:

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Illustrations of Ferrotype Cameras

Fallowfield's 1907 Takuquick Ferrotype Camera, Victoria size, complete with developing box, the complete kit could be purchased for £5.5.0.

Fallowfield's Auto Dell Ferrotype camera, 1907, taking 30 sheathed ferrotype plates 2½ x 2 inches, claimed by the manufacturer to be capable of producing up to 30 portraits per hour

Fallowfield's Popular Automatic Ferrotype Camera with f/6 portrait lens, from a 1914 advertisement, priced at £3.10.0.

The Aptus Ferrotype Camera, sold by Moore & Co 101 and 103 Dale Street, Liverpool, from a 1914 advertisement. The camera cost £3.10.0 and a hundred plates were 4/6d.

Two other views of the Aptus camera from contemporary advertisements

The Wonder Cannon Ferrotype Camera by the Chicago Ferrotype (Liverpool Co, advertised in 1913

1915 advertisement for the Mandel Combination Card and Button Camera by the Chicago Ferrotype Co

1914 advertisement for The Automatic Telophot button camera by the British Ferrotype Company, Blackpool

Janovitch advertisement 1930

Surely the ultimate in ferrotype kit. The manufacturers of this 1915 Wonder Cannon Automatic Button Camera claimed that it took and finished ferrotype button photos at the rate of more than 6 per minute. It was by the Chicago Ferrotype Co of Chicago Buildings, Whitechapel, Liverpool; Chicago; New York etc.

Scotch Inport Company Ferrotype advertisement from January 1931

The Aptus Autocard Camera from an advertisement in January 1933

A pre-war (Jan 1938) version of the Jano While - u - Wait Camera utilising ferrotype cards

A January 1947 advertisement for the Jano While-u-Wait Camera, which was then becoming available again after WW2

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Ferrotype Plates, Mounts, Envelopes

In 1906 Sharpe and Hitchmough of 101 and 103 Dale Street, Liverpool offered ferrotype supplies. These included

Ferrotype Plates "Special" Buffalo 14 x 10 inches, black or chocolate, per doz. 3s 6d; per box of 200 sheets £2, half box £1.1s, quarter box 11s.

American cut-up ferrotype plates. Per box of 8 doz., black or chocolate
2 ½ x 2 inches 1s 6d;
3¼ x 2 ¾ inches 2s 6d;
4¼ x 3¼ inches 4s per box.

Ferrotype envelopes, new designs
1/9, 1/6 and 1/4 size, 100 for 1/6d, 1000 for 11s (1/9th plate would have been 2 x 2½ inches, 1/6th plate 2½ x 3½ inches and quarter plate 3¼ x 4¼ inches)
5 x 4, 100 for 2s, 1000 18s,
Victoria 1/9 (i.e.2 x 2½ inches), 100 1s 3d, 1000 10s 6d

New designs of ferrotype envelopes from Sharp and Hitchmough, Liverpool, 1906.

1911 advertisement by Jonathan Fallowfield illustrating special rimmed ferrotype plates used in their Popular Camera.

Jonathan Fallowfield advertised in 1914 (British Journal Almanac 1914)

Ferrotype Dry Plates (Collodion Emulsion) The Fallowfield Brand.

Owing to the enormously increased output of these plates, I have been able to reduce the price, and at the same time improve the quality and greatly increase the speed, and can assure users that the present "J.F." brand is the very finest quality plate ever put on the market. I shall be pleased to cut plates to any size required.

Prices:
1 in circle rimmed in magazines ready for loading into "Wonder Cannon" and similar cameras. per tube of 100, 2/9d, post 3d
2.5 x 1.75 inch unsheathed for Aptus camera per packet of 100, 4/6d, post 4d
2.5 x 2 inch per packet of 36, 1/9d, postage 3d
2.5 x 2 inch with special rimmed frames ready for loading into the Popular Camera per magazine of 36. 3/-. post 4d
3.25 x 2.75 inch unsheathed per packet of 12, 1/-,postage 2d
3.5 x 2.5 inch unsheathed per packet of 12, 1/-, postage 2d
4.25 x 3.25 inch unsheathed, per packet of 12, 1/6d, postage 2d
5 x 4 inch unsheathed, per packet of 12, 2/3d, postage 3d
6.5 x 4.75 inches, unsheathed per packet of 12, 3/6d, postage 4d
10 x 7 inches, unsheathed, per packet of 12, 7/-, postage 6d
14 x 10 inch unsheathed per packet of 12, 14/-, postage 9d
6 x 9 cm unsheathed per packet of 12, 1/-, postage 2d
9 x 12 cm unsheathed per packet of 12, 2/-, postage 3d
13 x 18 cm unsheathed per packet of 12, 4/-, postage 4d
25 x 35 cm unsheathed per packet of 12, 14/-, postage 9d
4.5 x 6 cm per box of 100, 4/6d postage 4d
6.5 x 9 cm per box of 50, 4/6d postage 4d

In 1924 the Lancashire Ferrotype Company, 2 Adelaide Place, Blackpool, advertised to Ferrotype workers their gelatine positive tin-type plates, which they claimed were a first in the history of the trade.

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Brooches / Mounts for circular button positives

This is a 1913 advertisement from Jonathan Fallowfield for superior brooches to mount button photographs. As the advertisement suggests cheaper stamped out mounts were on the market.

Example ferrotype button photograph in brass brooch - photo approximately one inch diameter

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Positive Cards

In their 1933 catalogue, Jonathan Fallowfield described direct positive cards in the following terms:

Positive Cards - Straco Blackbak. These cards are for producing direct positive photographs, and considered to be far superior to any other make of card. Used in conjunction with Straco combined developing and fixing salts splendid black and white results (without a trace of yellowness) can be obtained. They have a highly glazed surface and are free from liability to rust. Supplied packed face to back all one way, without paper between, they are ready for loading in Prismotype and other cameras. Sixes offered were: 2.5 x 1.75 inches, 2.5 x 1 ⅞ Aptus, 3 x 2 , 3 x 2 ¼ Aptus, 3 ½ x 2 ½, 4 ½ x 3 and 5 ½ x 3 ¼

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Identifying and dating different presentations of ferrotypes

Some indications are given below of 19th Century ferrotypes. Measurement of a surviving example and comparison with the media column of the camera table above, then checking the advertised dates column may give a "not before..." indication of date. The illustrations of mount designs above may assist. Printed information about the photographer on the mount of backing paper is seldom to be found. Image content will ultimately play perhaps the biggest part in dating ferrotypes, but this can be very difficult on very small sizes.

Two examples of 19th Century unmounted ferrotypes. The above two unmounted ferrotypes measure respectively 2 x 2.1 inches and 1.9 x 2.8 inches. The subjects and the photographers are unknown. The first, of a man in a cap has been produced by the wet collodion process - the mark across the top of the plate shows where the liquid chemicals have not flowed evenly over the whole of the surface of the plate. Dry plate ferrotypes were first introduced in 1891. The second ferrotype of a child, supported by a woman who is mainly out of shot, is a chocolate coloured plate. Both of these have clearly been unevenly cut by hand from larger plates. This again suggests a 19th century origin as pre-cut plates and cameras to match were readily available in the 20th Century. (although larger ferrotype plates 14 x 10 inches were available at least until 1913)

These three ferrotypes of unknown young people, by unknown photographers,are broadly similar to the American Gem, but the mount is much smaller than the carte de visite size of the Gem, being 1.8 x 2.8 inches. The ferrotypes are held in place by paper cover sheets stuck onto the reverse. The ferrotypes are larger than those encountered on many of the American Gems and measure approximately 1 inch or 1.1 inches x 1.5 inches. From the images themselves these seem to be 19th rather than 20th Century. The overall size of the mount matches some versions of the midget carte de visite. We have yet to discover a contemporary name for these midget carte ferrotypes.

The three larger mounted ferrotypes above are all of unknown people by unknown photographers. The clothing of the subjects would put these in the 1920s/30s. The central example appears to have been tinted. The text in the background on the right hand image shows that the camera used reversed the image. The mounts have serrated patterned edges and are 3.1 x 5 inches, so midway between a conventional carte de visite and a cabinet photograph. The actual ferrotypes measure 1¾ x 2½ inches. Below the three mounted examples is an unmounted ferrotype 1¾ x 2½ inches taken from a similar mount, which was falling apart. This depicts two ladies in overcoats, apparently from the 1920s. Half way down the right hand edge of the plate is a small circular indentation and on the reverse is a corresponding slightly raised pinhead shape. These would have enabled the operator to load the plates into the camera with the correct orientation by touch. Jonathan Fallowfield, in their 1933 catalogue, were listing plates this size which they described as "dented" which they said was to prevent the plates sticking together as they were provided without paper in between and were ready to be loaded directly into magazines. [All of these very dark Tintypes have been lightened slightly in Photoshop in order to make the images visible]. To date we have not discovered a contemporary name for this type of presentation of a ferrotype.

This ferrotype is a larger size again from those above. It depicts two ladies in summer outfits from the 1920s, one holding a box camera. The subjects and the photographer are unknown. The serrated edged mount measures 3.75 x 5.25 inches and the ferrotype behind the mount is 2.4 x 3.4 inches. Again this is a dark image which has been slightly lightened to improve visibility. To date we have not discovered a contemporary name for this type of presentation of a ferrotype.

The ferrotype above is in a dome top mount with bronze decoration 3.6 x 5.6 inches. The ferrotype measures 2.5 x 3.5 inches. The photographer is unknown but the subject is identified in manuscript on the reverse of the mount "1860-1936 William Crowninshield Endicott son of William Crowninshield Endicott & Ellen Peabody his wife." Endicott was an American, but he had relatives in England - his sister was married to the UK politician Joseph Chamberlain. The phrase "Lets Make Whoopee" on the face of the mount was made popular in a 1928 song, so this can be dated to the late 1920s, early 1930s. Although this carte was purchased in the UK, it could have originated in the USA. To date we have not discovered a name for this novelty type of presentation of a ferrotype.

The above two examples are in grey card mounts, approximately postcard sized, 5.5 x 3.25 inches and 5.4 x 3.25 inches. Card positives in these mounts measure 4.5 x 3 inches. Invisible beneath the mount, the cards have a narrow black border. The cards are held in place by paper covers on the reverse of the mount. There is no printing on the reverse. The photographers and subjects are unknown. They depict seaside scenes, possibly from the 1920s. From the table above, these could have been taken by a pre-WW1 Mandel Combination Post Card Sleeve Camera, by the Chicago Ferrotype (Liverpool) Co.

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