Tintypes and ambrotypes are both made through the wet collodion process, a popular 19th-century photographic innovation that still persists today. (Many wonderful examples of tintypes are featured in the current exhibition, “Painted Tintypes: Photography for the People.”) These unique “hard photographs,” on metal and glass respectively, are often difficult to tell apart. Join a lively discussion comparing historic and contemporary examples of both processes, and explore how these images are produced, what artifacts of manufacture and deterioration look like, and how preservation strategies can help in their long-term care.

With Katrina Newbury, Saundra B. Lane Conservator, Virginia Herrick Deknatel Paper Conservation Laboratory.

Free with general admission. No advance registration or tickets required. Due to space constraints, tours are limited to 12 participants (first come, first served). Tours meet at Sharf Visitor Center. Assistive listening devices available upon request.