Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

June 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Wed, Jun 24, 2026 11:00AM EDT
Lot 381

Tintypes, Unidentified Subjects, Group of 9, Various Sizes

Estimate: $100 - $200

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$100 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
Nine ferrotype portraits form this assembled lot, each capturing unidentified subjects in studio and informal settings consistent with the 1870s to 1890s. The images range from intimate individual portraits to group compositions, all produced using the tintype process on thin iron-backed emulsion. No photographer's imprint is visible on any example in the group.

Subjects across the nine plates include two women posed together before a painted studio backdrop, four young men arranged in a seated and standing group, a couple standing formally arm in arm, a young girl seated in a chair wearing a ruffled dress, a woman and two men shaking hands before an arched studio prop, a group of women and children reclining outdoors near a stone pedestal, a woman photographed in sharp profile wearing a plaid shawl and drop earring, a solitary standing figure on a heavily deteriorated plate, and a large mixed gathering of men and women with several wearing top hats.

The group presents a cross-section of late nineteenth century portrait conventions, from formal studio arrangements to more relaxed multi-figure compositions, with varying degrees of image preservation across the individual plates.

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