This is a tintype portrait of Alney Chase as a young man by an unknown maker.

Tintypes, also known as melainotypes or ferrotypes, gained popularity over other forms of portraiture in the mid-1860s because they were cheap, sturdy, and easy to transport.

While daguerreotypes were made on copper and ambrotypes on glass, tintypes were made on thin sheets of iron. This versatility and economy of material made tintypes very popular, especially during the Civil War.