Preserving Pocahontas

Orville McMillion (born Sept 9, 1919) at left and Lola Gray McMillion (born Oct 19, 1917) at right, in front of C.J. Richardson Hardware in Marlinton, W.Va. They were the children of Walter and Ollie McMillion. I think that Mr. McMillion worked at the tannery. These old tintypes become faded and cracked over time and, as you can see, this one is showing its age.

A tintype, also known as a melainotype or ferrotype, is a photograph made by creating a direct positive on a thin sheet of metal coated with a dark lacquer or enamel and used as the support for the photographic emulsion. They were most popular in the 1860s and 1870s. By the time this photograph was taken the tintype had become more of a novelty. There were a number of photographic studios in Marlinton when this one was made. Photo courtesy of Jean McKenney. ID: PHP001483

Access the “Preserving Pocahontas” Digital Library at www.pocahontasp reservation.org or www.preservingpocahontas.org 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.