Collecting Vintage Photographs and Albums - How to Identify Old Photo Types

In my boxes of photos, I've come across the following types of old photos:

• Ambrotype
• Daguerreotype
• Carte de Visite
• Cabinet Card
• Tintype

Below you will find a sampling of photos in each of the above categories with a description of the photo type.

When I was learning about types of vintage photos, I did my research online, just as you are probably doing now. I will provide you with a short description in my own words, and then a link to a source of further information to deepen your research should you wish to do so.

When taking an Ambrotype photograph, silver solution is applied to glass of desired size, and this was exposed to the image a photographer was taking. 

To protect the image, the solution and image may have been on the back of a piece of glass, and then protected by another piece of glass.

This process was done directly on glass, unlike the Daquerreotype, which is similar and described below.

Visit this link for further research on Ambrotype photos, and enjoy the sampling of this type of photo below.

The Daquerreotype photo image was on a copper metal surface rather than glass like the Ambrotype photo.

If you hold the image at certain angles, the image "disappears" and you would see a mirror-like surface, which is unique to this type of photo.

The photo is always in a protective case, that may or may not come with an old photo. Certainly it is worth much more if the case is available with the photo.

Visit this link for further information on Daquerreotype photos and take some time to view the samples of this photo below.

While all old photos are fun to look at, it is the photos that are unique in some way that are valuable. The subject matter might represent the period in which the picture was taken in an interesting way, or may have old vehicles in it that are interesting to look at.

Wartime photos are often valuable...I am fascinated by WWII era items, and have kept or sold photos of planes with nose art or men in uniform, and occasionally scenes of areas after the destruction of war.

If the main subject of the photo is a person, unless the person in the photo is famous, or special in some way, pictures of people don't fetch a big price. Exceptions might be those dressed in military attire, celebrities, post-mortem photos, people in side shows, and similar unique or odd photos.

So as you might expect, it is the subject matter that makes a photo valuable.

Wikimedia Photo in Public Domain

Carte de Visite photographs, also known as CDV photos, are among the most common of the old photos that I've obtained.

The photo is glued to card stock, and how thick the card stock is helps determine age. Thinner card stock is older, and may have been cut by hand...thicker and very rigid, more recent. Many have text on the front edges and back stating who the photographer is, which was a nice way for the photographer to advertise his or her business.

CDV's had a standard measurement, especially the later ones that were not cut by hand, which is 2 3/8" x 4 1/4". Because of their relatively small size, they were easy to carry around in the pocket.

Visit this link for more detailed information on CDV photographs.

The Cabinet Card photo is very similar to the CDV photo, but larger in size. It measured 6 1/2" x 4 1/4" and might have rounded edges. There was often text on the back or along the bottom edge with photographer's information.

This larger size was more suited to portraits of men, women and children, so that is what you will find on most Cabinet Card photos. A Cabinet Card of something unique is all the more valuable because of this.

Visit this link for more detailed information on Cabinet Card Photos, and enjoy a sampling of these photos below...they are available for sale as are most of the antique photos on this page.

Magic Lantern slides are glass slides with images on them. They were used in a Magic Lantern projector in the 1800's. Pictures were projected for entertainment purposes.

You may have seen slide projectors that use little images that look like negatives in a cardboard frame to display pictures on a movie screen...the magic lantern was similar to this, but reflected light from light sources like candles, oil lamps, whatever was available at the time, from a mirror through the image and to a screen or wall.

I have come home with boxes of glass slides that have images of street scenes, trees, and other similar things.

Below is an image of a magic lantern slide and a magic lantern projector. The images change as they are on eBay, so once they are no longer listed or purchased, another image will take it's place.

Tintypes were printed on thin iron metal. Most were in a protective sleeve, and very easy to damage if one tried to clean the image, so care should be taken with these photos.

You might think you would confuse them with other metal applications like the Daquerreotype, but it was not on copper as the Daquerreotype was.

Early on they were in a case like the Ambrotype, but this was costly, and soon replaced by the protective sleeve.

The Tintype is easiest to identify if it is in the protective sleeve, and will need more careful observation if it is either in a frame or case.

Visit this link for more detailed information on Tintype Photos, and enjoy a sampling of these photos below.

Vintage Photo Albums are very popular items at the auction that I attend when they offer books, paper, and ephemera. As with photos, the more unique and old the album is, the more valuable.

It's important to look at albums ahead of time, before bidding starts if you are at an estate sale auction, to make sure the album is actually full of photos. It seems obvious, but in the excitement of bidding, if you have not had time to look ahead, you may end up with an album that has a few pages with pictures (the ones you were shown when the auctioneer held up the album) and a lot of empty pages. I confess that in my early days attending auctions, I have had this happen.

Below is a changing list of vintage photo albums that are available for purchase...the same tip shared above applies when buying vintage photo albums online, read the descriptions carefully and ask the seller questions if anything is not clear.