I love gutta percha. We tend to think of plastics as an invention of the 1930′s or 1940′s, but gutta percha has been used since the mid 19th century. I bought this photograph from an estate sale in Dunn (Harnett County) today because of the case, and I had no idea that it would teach me something and present a mystery.

A Tintype from a Harnett County Estate

What is taught me is that this case is not gutta percha, but rather a thermoplastic case. Shellac and wood fibers were combined and pressed in a large mold, and the result is the beautifully detailed case you see here. What struck me was that the hinges and clasp are all intact and working properly, which is sadly not the case for most of these cases that remain. These miniature cases were extremely popular during the civil war era, in no small part because of the nature of the small tintype images that were “direct positive” prints (meaning that there was no negative). They were the Civil War equivalent of the Polaroid “instant” photos, although the tintype process could hardly be called instant. Continue reading →