Photos, cameras and photographers at museum Saturday

Wednesday, September 17, 2014
R.T. Hartsaw will be at the Putnam County Museum on Saturday to produce antique tintype photographs for visitors. (courtesy photo)

"Who Shot Putnam County?," the largest exhibit of the year at the Putnam County Museum, will open Saturday, Sept. 20.

The exhibit features photos, photographers and cameras of the 1850s to the 1930s. On display will be works by photographers from around the county and information about the people and processes behind the photos as well as many beautiful old cameras.

On opening day Putnam native R.T. (Tim) Hartsaw will be on hand making tintypes in true 19th-century fashion.

Hartsaw is a practitioner of historic wet plate tintype photography. Based from his 1850s home in the National Historic Landmark District of Madison, Hartsaw travels the region taking tintypes at Civil War re-enactments, cowboy/western re-enactments, museums, historic and craft events using 1850s-1890s wet plate processes, equipment and dress.

Everyone is invited to dress up in their best 1800s outfit to have a tintype taken at the museum for a small donation. Visitors can also pose and take pictures in an old-fashioned setting that resembles a photography studio in the day.

Hartsaw has studied tintype photography with internationally known tintypist John Coffer. He has been a full-time tintypist since 2006. Though his works are mostly tintypes in 1/6-, 1/4- and 1/2-plate size, he also does ambrotypes (positive images on glass plates), large prints derived from his tintypes, and commission work.

The wet plate collodion process for making negatives, tintypes and ambrotypes was introduced in 1853. It was the "instant" photographic process of its day.

Tintypes, also known as Melanotypes or Ferrotypes, are positive images captured on metal and were introduced in 1854.

They were popular in America due to their durability, the quick nature of the process, and low cost.

Museum volunteers Mickey Meehan, Vicky Krider and Rita Schendel, who are curating and building the exhibit, were hard pressed to choose their favorite artifacts.

Meehan pointed to a moody 1928 image of the courthouse square, while Krider cited the oak and brass detective camera from the 1880s, "or maybe the camera that makes 15 stamps at a time." Schendel's favorite is a round picture taken just after the 1874 fire.

The event is scheduled at the Putnam County Museum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Refreshments will be served.

The exhibit will continue at the museum through summer 2015.

Persons with questions may call the museum at 653-8419 or stop by during open hours -- 1-3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Saturdays.

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