Cased Image Collection Now Online

RICHMOND—The Valentine Richmond History Center is pleased to announce that more than 500 items from its Cased Image Collection are now available for review online. The History Center’s online collections database is free, accessible to the public and currently contains 15 percent of the entire collection. Additional records are added on a routine basis. Cased images are early types of photography that include daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes. Images are taken on glass or metal and generally enclosed in decorative cases.

Cased images are early types of photography that include daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes. Images are taken on glass or metal and generally enclosed in decorative cases. Their most distinctive feature is having no intervening negative, which makes each image unique. Daguerreotypes (c.1839-1860) are positive images produced on silver-plated copper sheets, creating a hologram-like appearance. Ambrotypes (c.1851-1865) are negative images produced on glass. Black backing makes the image appear positive. Tintypes, also called ferrotypes, melainotypes or melanographs (c.1856-1940), are positive images produced on sheets of iron.

The Cased Image Collection includes portraits of individuals and photographs of landscapes, including the earliest known photographic views of Richmond (c. 1855) and Lynchburg (1848-1852). Given their generally small size and delicate nature, these images are almost easier to see online than in person.

Members of the public who wish to view parts of the collection in person may make a research appointment by visiting the History Center’s website.

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The Valentine Richmond History Center engages, educates and challenges a diverse audience by collecting, preserving and interpreting Richmond’s history. Located in the heart of historic downtown Richmond, the History Center encourages residents and visitors to explore and learn about the Richmond region through exhibitions, research, tours and programs.