Tintypes on Cockades
In 1856 a patent was issued to Professor Hamilton L. Smith “For the Use of Jappaned Metallic Plates in Photography”... and photography was revolutionized.
And cockades were revolutionized too. The tintype was born!
The striking, clear and beautiful photographs of people on cockades became not only possible, but durable and affordable for everyone.
Unlike previous methods of photography which included fragile glass, tintypes were printed on iron (hence their other name, ferrotypes). And due to another invention by Simon Wing called the "multiplying camera" tintypes could be easily and inexpensively reproduced. Wing's camera could literally take one image and reproduce it hundreds of times on a single plate. These hundreds of images could then be cut apart and framed... or put into buttons.
Photo buttons became extremely popular in the 1860s and 1870s. In Uniform Buttons of the United States, 1776-1865 Warren Tice observes, "At the beginning of the Civil War hostilities, ferrotype buttons bearing the images of sweethearts, mothers, children, soldiers, politicians and national heros appeared. Soldiers commonly wore buttons with photos of loved ones on their clothing to glimpse when homesick and lonely."
The presidential campaign industry also capitalized on photo buttons. Cockades, mementos and jewelry were all created with tintypes of presidential contenders. Here's a few samples - a necklace, a pin and a bracelet.
Another boon for the photo button industry was the mourning cockade. During the American Civil War, death touched nearly every family in America. And when President Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, it became very popular to wear mourning cockades and ribbons with his image in a photo button.
This picture from my collection shows a soldier with an appropriately grave expression wearing a Lincoln mourning cockade with one of these buttons in the center.
Below are some of the Lincoln cockades still in existence that sport ferrotype buttons.
The Button Baron is doing a wonderful job of recreating these ferrotype buttons. Their photographs are no longer perishable tintypes, but instead are high quality laminates. However, all other parts are made exactly as the originals on a vintage button-making machine at their shop in Gettysburg. In this picture you can see an original tintype button on the left and the Button Baron's reproduction on the right. Looks pretty darn good to me! These good folks have been supplying me with lovely repros for my cockades.
For a final bit of tintype button eye candy, here are three more cockades sporting tintype buttons. From left to right: A mourning cockade for Colonel Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth, a Union cockade showing President George Washington, and a Confederate cockade with Jefferson Davis's photo.
For many more examples of tintype buttons, you might enjoy my Pinterest board on the subject.
Fun Weekend
Last weekend, we celebrated my lovely mother’s 70th birthday! I got to make a very special cockade for her party. She’s my model and my heroine, and I hope I get to be like her when I grow up someday! :)
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Thanks for reading!
Regards,
~Heather Sheen