Bidspirit auction | Mid-to-Late 19th Century Tintype Portrait

Mid-to-Late 19th Century Tintype Portrait of a Black Man - A mid-to-late 19th-century tintype, also known as a ferrotype, featuring a seated portrait of a Black man. The subject is dressed in formal period attire, including a dark hat with a rounded crown, a light-colored jacket, a waistcoat, a white shirt, and a dark bowtie. The man is posed in a three-quarter length view, seated with one arm resting and his gaze directed toward the camera. The photograph is an original period image produced on a thin rectangular sheet of black-enameled iron. The reverse of the plate is plain and bears no photographer's marks, signatures, or inscriptions. The item is unmounted and presented as a single metal plate. Across the widest point: 2.5 inches Across the highest point: 3.5 inches. The photograph is in fair to poor condition. The entire surface exhibits extensive crazing and fine cracking of the collodion emulsion layer (photo 1). There are large, irregular losses to the image layer along the right side and the top edge, exposing the black iron support beneath (photo 2). General fading and surface abrasions are present throughout, although the facial features of the subject remain legible (photo 4). The edges of the metal plate show some minor oxidation and wear. The reverse side shows minor surface scuffing but no structural damage to the metal (photo 5).