Half plate studio portrait tintype. N.p., ca. 1860s. Half leatherette case. Features hand-tinted details. 

This striking studio composition captures two young girls, likely older and younger sisters, posed side-by-side in three-quarter length. The seated girl at left wears a fitted teal-green silk bodice and expansive hoop skirt, accented with hand-applied watercolor tinting. At her lace-trimmed collar rests an oval photographic brooch displaying a miniature portrait, possibly her father. The other girl stands beside her with an arm placed affectionately on her shoulder, dressed in a black velvet jacket with an intricate white lace collar, gilded bracelet, and a matching teal tiered ruffled skirt. Both sitters display subtle hand-tinted rosy cheeks.

Large-format half-plate tintypes with elaborate, hand-coloring are uncommon. Images displaying subjects visibly wearing miniature photographic jewelry represent a highly desirable crossover between Victorian fashion history and early portraiture.

[Tintype, Ferrotype, Half Plate, Early Photography, 19th Century Photography, Photo Jewelry, Photographic Brooch, Mourning Brooch, Victorian Fashion, Hand Tinted, Hand Painted, Sisters, Children in Photography, 1860s Photography]

Very good condition. The plate retains brilliant, rich hand-painted colors, strong underlying contrast, and sharp focal clarity across the sitters' faces, clothing textures, and jewelry.