Group of 19 tin type metal photographs. A tin type, also known as a Melanie type or ferrotype, made by creating a direct positive on a tin sheet of metal coated with a dark lacquer or enamel and used as the support for the photographic emulsion. Tintype enjoyed their widest use during the 1860s and 1870s, but lesser use of the medium persisted into the early 20th century. Sizes ranging from 3.31 inch L; 2.33 inch W to 4.05 inch L; 2.52 inch W