November 3, 2011, Filed Under: PhotographyRansom Center acquires collection of contemporary tintypes The Ransom Center recently acquired ten tintype images from photographer Robb Kendrick. Tintype printing is a historical photo technique that was used primarily during the nineteenth century. The tintypes acquired are each handmade and one-of-a-kind. The acquired tintypes vary in subject matter from portraits to landscapes to cacti. Several of Kendrick’s photographs were taken on location for National Geographic, and many were taken for personal projects. Kendrick’s most recent wet-plate work documented the working cowboy for the December 2007 issue of National Geographic. The photographs were taken in 14 western states, Mexico, and Canada. These photographs were then collected in the critically acclaimed book Revealing Character. Kendrick’s documentary photography regularly appears in National Geographic, but he also frequently works with wet-plate photography. Kendrick currently splits time between Austin and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, with his wife and two sons. Please click the thumbnails below to view full-size images. Robb Kendrick. “Untitled: Raramuri series,” October 2007. “This image was taken in Copper Canyon Region of Chihuahua, Mexico, where the Tarahumara or Raramuri Indians live. These people retreated to this remote canyon area after the Spanish arrived and tried to convert them. They have remained relatively isolated for 500 years.” Robb Kendrick. “Untitled: Mexican Mummy series,” July 2007 “This image was made in Guanajuato, Mexico at the MUSEO las MOMIAS. This collection of Mexican mummies is very famous and are a result of families not paying the grave tax and the local government removing the remains for back taxes. This practice ended in 1973. I was allowed access for two nights to make images of the mummies from 6 p.m. until 8 a.m. while the museum was closed.” Robb Kendrick. “Untitled: Opuntia series,” July 2008. “This image was made in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, at my home. I have worked on a series of cacti pad specimen shots, and the series refers to the Latin name for spined cacti.” Robb Kendrick. “Untitled: ZX Ranch series,” Montana, August 2009. “This image was made on a very remote ranch in Montana. The ranch is the ZX Ranch, a 200,000 acre ranch that spans Montana and Wyoming. The ranch owner David Leuschen’s wife commissioned me to come to the ranch to make tintypes of their property as a birthday gift to her husband. They made a selection of 14 images and then purchased an additional 28 images. They chose the horizontal shot of this image.” Robb Kendrick. “Untitled: ZX Ranch series,” Montana, August 2009. “This image was made on a very remote ranch in Montana. The ranch is the ZX Ranch, a 200,000 acre ranch that spans Montana and Wyoming. The ranch owner David Leuschen’s wife commissioned me to come to the ranch to make tintypes of their property as a birthday gift to her husband. They made a selection of 14 images and then purchased an additional 28 images. David had his pilot bring this Pilatus Porter aircraft into the ranch to be able to fly me into very remote areas. The plane is seen here on the grass strip on this part of the ranch in Montana. “David wanted an image made in a very remote location that my portable darkroom could not be taken. He suggested using the airplane as a taxi to and from the darkroom. From time of removal from the silver nitrate, making the exposure and returning to the darkroom times of 10 minutes is pushing the limits. We attempted making images on the remote section of the ranch where I flew to the location with the camera, set up the composition and had camera ready, flew back to retrieve a plate out of the silver nitrate fly to the camera location, make the exposure, fly back to the darkroom and process. Time roundtrip was 30 minutes. Flight time was 8.5 minutes each way. The images turned out. I’m sure I am the first tintype photographer to use an airplane to get to and from camera location.” Robb Kendrick. “This image was made while on assignment for National Geographic documenting the evolution of the North American Cowboy. This project resulted in the book ‘STILL: Cowboys at the Start of the Twenty-First Century’ by UT Press. This group shot was taken on the Diamond A ranch in Arizona. For this project I drove over 41,000 miles and photographed on 68 ranches from Mexico, 14 U.S. states west of the Mississippi River, and two Provinces in Canada. Cowboys from back to front left to right: Joy Herman, Beano Kimball, Heath DeNell, and Ken Saucier. Front: Jake Rodgers,Don Crowley, Matt Bruton, and JB Kessler. Date image made: October 2006 Robb Kendrick. “Hunter Meinzer,” Tongue River Ranch, Texas, November 2006. “This image was made while on assignment for National Geographic documenting the evolution of the North American Cowboy. This project resulted in the book ‘STILL: Cowboys at the Start of the Twenty-First Century’ by UT Press. Hunter Meinzer is a cowboy at the Tongue River Ranch near Paducah, Texas. For this project I drove over 41,000 miles and photographed on 68 ranches from Mexico, 14 U.S. states west of the Mississippi River, and two Provinces in Canada.” Robb Kendrick. “Cody Bell, 6666 Ranch Revealing Character,” February 2004. “This image was made at the 6666 Ranch in Guthrie, Texas. The image was part of the series made for ‘Revealing Character’ book project on Texas Cowboys. Cody wears a ‘taco’ hat typical of the Southern Plains cowboys.” Robb Kendrick. “Tom ‘Stretch’ Bowerman,” November 2002. “I made this image of Tom in Amarillo, Texas, at the National Finals Working Ranch Rodeo. Tom had a ‘taco’ hat on that was very nice along with his neckerchief and moustache I thought it was a good combination. We made three plates each with exposures 1.5 minutes long. He stayed still for one of the three and all three have their own sense of beauty. Tom has since become a good friend. He made the cover of the ‘Revealing Character’ book and wanted a girlfriend out of the deal. I introduced him to several young women at museum openings he attended for the book. In Amarillo I introduced him to Devon Ellis, and 8 months later they married. That was 4 years ago. Tom will always have a special place in my personal and photo memories.” Robb Kendrick. “Untitled: Elko, Nevada series for National Geographic Magazine,” July 2003. “This image was taken in 2003 in Elko Nevada for National Geographic. This was a small story about the town. It was the first time NG had ever commissioned a tintype as the process was obsolete by the time they started publishing images in 1887. The street scene taken at dusk showing the motel and casino signs, street light and car headlights was an image I attempted to show the Night Life in this gambling town. Tintype exposures are very long to begin with, at dusk they are painfully long. In the end I made three plates and the two that were successful were made with 14 minute exposure times which was far longer than any exposure I had ever heard from historic or contemporary tintype photographers. Also, I had never seen an image made after the sun went down.” Robb Kendrick. “Untitled: Elko, Nevada, series for National Geographic Magazine,” July 2003. “This image was taken in 2003 in Elko Nevada for National Geographic. This was a small story about the town. It was the first time NG had ever commissioned a tintype as the process was obsolete by the time they started publishing images in 1887. The men in the image are BLM (Bureau of Land Managment) firefighters. They are based in Elko to fight fires on BLM lands out west.” Robb Kendrick. “Untitled: Raramuri series,” March 2008. “This image was taken in Copper Canyon Region of Chihuahua, Mexico, where the Tarahumara or Raramuri Indians live. These people retreated to this remote canyon area after the Spanish arrived and tried to convert them. They have remained relatively isolated for 500 years. This person is wearing white paint for Semana Santa celebrations which take place during Easter.”
