I have a bit of a soft spot for tintype photos because, despite their somewhat limited tonal range they often have a must sharper focus and show more detail than other photos of the period. Plus, as the photographic enamel chips slowly away, they often have a lovely 'aged' look to them as well.
Anyway, in this instance, I bought this one not just because of my soft spot for the medium but because of the young man bottom right, for whom I also developed a soft spot! The photograph is a mirror image because the technique used which means it takes a moment to work out that all the men have "H J Larkins" stamped across their chests: perhaps the sponsor of a swimming team? or the hirer of swimwear at a beach? or the owner of a lido?
Anyway, in this instance, I bought this one not just because of my soft spot for the medium but because of the young man bottom right, for whom I also developed a soft spot! The photograph is a mirror image because the technique used which means it takes a moment to work out that all the men have "H J Larkins" stamped across their chests: perhaps the sponsor of a swimming team? or the hirer of swimwear at a beach? or the owner of a lido?