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Ray Phillips dag portrait by C.H. Tremear

From 1929 till his death in 1943, C.H. Tremear manned the Tintype Studio in Greenfield Village where he made tintypes of about 100,000 persons. In addition to tintypes he also taught himself the daguerreotype process using original equipment and manuals. Ray Phillips patiently waited 2 years before he could make an appointment with Mr. Tremear for a daguerreotype portrait. According to the Daguerrian Annual article by Dave Tinder, Ray was so inspired by the event that he went home and talked his dad into putting skylights into the garage and built a daguerreotype studio there. Ray continued to make daguerreotypes for over 15 years before moving his efforts and funds into phonographs.

Thanks to the help of René Rondeau, a friend of Ray Phillips, Ray was able to sit at my studio for a daguerreotype portrait. It was a day I will always remember filled with anecdotes and great conversation. Here is a half plate dag of Ray produced that day…

Eric Mertens and Ray Phillips

LA Times article 1951 on Ray Phillips

Short video from when Ray Phillips visited the studio…

René Rondeau also brought his tintype camera along and got some very beautiful tintypes of Ray as well. René will be writing an article on the days events that will be published in the next Daguerrian Society Annual. Also for more information on C.H. Tremear and Ray Phillips there is a great article in the 1993 Daguerreian Annual by Dave Tinder entitled Charles Herbert Tremear “The Patriarch of Twentieth-Century Daguerreotypy in America”.

René Rondeau quarter plate tintype of Ray Phillips

I was lucky enough to have him over for a portrait…

He brought along items of interest to be included in his likeness.