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Suspect Lincoln

Problematic Copy Images

December 28, 2019

For many years we have seen copy tintypes of O-79, an albumen portrait taken by Alexander Gardner on November 9, 1863. The specimen pictured in Hamilton & Ostendorf’s reference work credits the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The sixth plate tintype copies that regularly pop up  are the product of “The Tintype Studio” at Deerfield Village in Dearborn (makes sense if they own an original albumen print). We picture an example in its original folder, as recently offered on eBay. We strongly suspect that all tintype copies that one sees were made in the late 20th century.  We don’t believe the Tintype Studio is still in operation, but the modern reproduction tintype trade is going strong.