This is a well-preserved tintype portrait of an unidentified lady dressed in black. The photo was taken around 1900 and therefore she is not likely to be identified. But, you never know! The only clue is that she may have had a connection to the Sharp and/or Dilley families in the Marlinton area. Let me know if you recognize her.
A tintype, also known as melainotype or ferrotype, is an old style photograph that creates a photographic image on a thin sheet of metal or iron that has been coated with a dark lacquer or enamel. Tintypes were the first photographs readily accessible to the average person. Invented in France in the 1850s by a man named Adolphe-Alexandre Martin, tintypes were most popular during the 1860s and 1870s and have persisted through the 20th century and into modern times. (Sharp-Dilley Collection, Courtesy of Robert Carroll Crane, ID: PHP002214)
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If you have historical records or photographs to be scanned for the county Historical Archive contact Preservation Officer B.J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989 or email info@pocahontaspreservation.org Prints of photographs are available.