A lot of two antique late 19th-century thermoplastic photo cases with locks. Inside both cases is a tintype photograph. The smaller case contains a portrait of a young man. Inside the bigger case is a double portrait of two small girls. A tintype, also known as a melainotype or ferrotype, is a type of photography most widely used during the 1860s and 1870s. Antique Americana Photographs And Collectables.