UPDATE: All the tintype sessions for June 7 have been sold. If you would like to be added to a contact list in the event another day of sessions can be scheduled at the MSV, please email Christy Broy at cbroy@theMSV.org
Experience a one-of-a-kind tintype portrait session with Lisa Elmaleh, award-winning artist, visual storyteller, and Guggenheim Fellow.
Each 45-minute sitting—available for individuals or couples—takes place outdoors in the MSV gardens and results in a stunning 8”x10” tintype portrait made using historic 19th-century techniques. Before or after your session, enjoy access to the MSV galleries and gardens.
Elmaleh’s work is featured in two exhibitions at the MSV this year, both on view in the Glen Burnie House: American Folk: Tintype Portraits of Appalachian Musicians (on view now through August 17) and Promised Land/Tierra Prometida (opening August 19 and on view through December 31, 2025).
Based in Hampshire County, West Virginia, Elmaleh is known for her evocative tintype photography and large-format documentation of American landscapes and culture. Her work has been exhibited nationally and featured in The New York Times, National Geographic, and Smithsonian Magazine. Click here to read the media release about Lisa Elmaleh’s MSV exhibitions.
$325 per session (includes MSV admission). Space is limited; only 10 sessions are being offered. Completed portraits will be varnished and available for pickup at the MSV after June 14. Advance registration is required; sign up online or call 540-662-1473, ext. 240.
Click to see MSV policies on refunds & photography.
Artist Lisa Elmaleh with her portable wet plate darkroom. On Saturday, June 7, Lisa Elmaleh will offer a rare opportunity to sit for a tintype portrait in the MSV gardens. Space is limited and advance registration is required.
Artist Lisa Elmaleh photographing her subject. On Saturday, June 7, Lisa Elmaleh will offer a rare opportunity to sit for a tintype portrait in the MSV gardens. Space is limited and advance registration is required.
Tintype portrait by artist Lisa Elmaleh developing
Finished tintype portrait by artist Lisa Elmaleh. On Saturday, June 7, Lisa Elmaleh will offer a rare opportunity to sit for a tintype portrait in the MSV gardens. Space is limited and advance registration is required.
A tintype photo made by Lisa Elmaleh.
A tintype photo made by Lisa Elmaleh.