Blues Tintype on eBay

Subject: Blues Tintype on Ebay
From: Tweed
Date: 16 Feb 08 - 11:51 AM

Saw this posted on another list earlier.

It's an **old image** of a Black performer from the turn of the century for sale on Ebay.

Can anybody identify his guitar??

Or him?

Tweed

Subject: RE: Blues Tintype on Ebay
From: Tweed
Date: 16 Feb 08 - 11:54 AM

Here's a blow-up of his guitar.

Subject: RE: Blues Tintype on Ebay
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Feb 08 - 11:57 AM

For what it's worth a close up of the headstock would probably be more informative.

That doesn't mean I want you to post one...

Subject: RE: Blues Tintype on Ebay
From: Tweed
Date: 16 Feb 08 - 12:08 PM

The bridge seems unusually wide to me though and I thought it might offer more clues. The headstock doesn't enlarge real well and fuzzes out any detail (and certainly no logo) that I could see.

The harmonica rack has sure come a long way since the model he's using.

Subject: RE: Blues Tintype on Ebay
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 16 Feb 08 - 06:28 PM

The capo looks "commercial," and much like some common now. There might be documentation that would help date the image more accurately if someone can get a "make" on it. Guitars weren't patented usually, only details for them. The capo would likely have been a patented "in-the-whole" design(?) and production dates/info might have been dug out by someone with a website.

The capo shows reasonable detail. There's no visible marking on the head that I can see, in the 300DPI "larger image" at ebay. The ebay image likely shows all the detail that was in the original, since long exposure times generally led to "very soft" lenses in tintype portrait days so that motion blur didn't show too prominently.

John

Subject: RE: Blues Tintype on Ebay
From: number 6
Date: 16 Feb 08 - 07:45 PM

Take a look at some of the capos on this web site. A few are around the same vintage as this tintype.

Capo Museum

Thanks for sharing this Tweed ...it is rather intriguing.

biLL

Subject: RE: Blues Tintype on Ebay
From: Tweed
Date: 17 Feb 08 - 08:18 AM

The full body harmonica rack might aslo be a clue as to where and when the shot was taken. I've not seen one of those anywhere before and always assumed that the neck rack was the only style ever made. I'm assuming that the shot was taken somewhere in the deep south, maybe New Orleans or possibly Memphis, but could be from anywhere.

The guy looks well fed and fit and his hands are no strangers to hard work. He may not even have been a musician at all, but only had his photo taken with the props like they do nowadays at the state and county fairs' midways.

Notice the guitar is seemingly strung upside down. I learned from the pre-war blues list that this is due to tin types reversal of images, so the photographer would have guitar players etc. hold their instruments "left-handed" so as to make them appear right handed in the final product.

Subject: RE: Blues Tintype on Ebay
From: Ernest
Date: 17 Feb 08 - 08:35 AM

OK... next question: what kind/brand of harmonica?
;0)
Ernest

Subject: RE: Blues Tintype on Ebay
From: Bobert
Date: 17 Feb 08 - 09:14 AM

Well, one thing is fir sure, or kinda fir sure and that is it's either a leftie or strung upside down???

Might be a Martin geetar fir all we know... They was making 'um back then...

B~

Subject: RE: Blues Tintype on Ebay
From: Tweed
Date: 18 Feb 08 - 10:05 AM

Well, somebody out there found it somewhat interesting.
Final sale bid was $999.99.