Tintype artist Craig Murphy to demonstrate 19th Century photographic process at U.S. Grant Cottage

See live demonstrations of historic photo method and have your “likeness” made!

Upstate New York tintype artist Craig Murphy will reenact the 19th Century wet plate collodion photographer at U.S. Grant Cottage National Historic Landmark Bi-Centennial Celebration in Wilton NY on June 18, 2022 from 10am-5pm.

Visit Craig Murphy during the presidential birthday celebration to see the authentic 19th century photographic method demonstrated live! Realize what it was like to make a photograph during the United States Civil War and around the world. Have your own “likeness” made that day. Be amazed by the magic of tintypes!

Glens Falls Art tintype of reenactors made in Wilton NY by photographer Craig Murphy.

Tintype of reenactors

collodion photographer Craig Murphy with his reproduction camera and 19th century lens and glens falls art traveling tintype studio in glens falls city park.

Tintype Artist Craig Murphy

“The images I create are made with the same methods 19th century photographers like Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner, and others would have used”, says Murphy.

Invented by English artist Frederick Scott Archer in 1851, wet plate collodion photography is the process of pouring collodion onto a plate of thin metal or glass, sensitizing in a silver nitrate solution, exposing in the camera, then developing the plate while it’s still wet. Most photographs made between 1850 until the early 1880’s were made with the “wet plate” process. There is currently a resurgence of this photographic method. People are amazed to learn about the history and science of these priceless family keepsakes during their portrait session.