Glens Falls Art Studio Shares Timeless Tintypes of Circus in Glens Falls NY in Celebration of World Circus Day

Glens Falls Art commemorates World Circus Day by sharing a captivating series of tintype photographs featuring the Zerbini Family Big Top Circus performers. Taken over the past few years in Crandall Park, Glens Falls, NY, these images celebrate the artistry of circus performers and creators while showcasing the historic photographic technique of wet plate collodion.

New York tintype artist and photographer, Craig Murphy, completed this series using the wet plate collodion process, a method invented by English artist Frederick Scott Archer in 1851. Setting up his Glens Falls Art traveling tintype studio alongside the Zerbini Family Big Top Circus tent, Murphy captured the magic of the circus in each photograph.

The wet plate collodion process involves pouring collodion onto a thin metal or glass plate, sensitizing it in a silver nitrate solution, exposing it in the camera, and developing the plate while it is still wet. Although most photographs made between 1850 and the early 1880s utilized this method, a resurgence of interest in the technique is currently underway.

Craig Murphy’s one-of-a-kind photos not only pay tribute to the Zerbini Family Circus, but also provide an opportunity for individuals to learn about the history and science behind these precious family keepsakes. Traveling throughout upstate New York with his Glens Falls Art^® mobile tintype studio, Murphy creates heirloom portraits and scenic views using this enduring photographic method.

These unique, archival-quality images evoke a sense of nostalgia and preserve the rich tradition of the circus for generations to come. As we celebrate World Circus Day, Glens Falls Art is proud to share the beauty and artistry of the circus through the timeless lens of wet plate collodion photography.