Full plate, hand-colored tintype of the outlaw Jesse James (1847-1882), accompanied by the full plate, hand-colored tintype of a banjo player, which the James image was found behind in a period wood and gesso wall frame backed with old Kansas City Times newspaper. The consignor relates that the framed tintype of the banjo player was purchased by a gentleman at an east Quincy, IL estate auction some years ago. When he removed the back of the frame, he saw some of the old newspaper sticking out of it, and discovered the James image under the portrait of the young man with the banjo. The back of the James tintype shows some of the same residue that is present on the back of the tintype of the unidentified banjo player. The consignor acquired the tintypes and frame from the gentleman in Illinois. 

The full plate tintype of James may be an enlargement of a sixth plate image that has been retouched and repainted. It appears to be after a photograph taken of James in 1869 at the age of 21 or 22 in Greenville, IL (see Philip Steele's book, The Many Faces of Jesse James, 1995), which would date this full plate tintype ca 1869-1870s.

It was in December of 1869 that Jesse James truly became famous when he and most likely his brother, Frank, robbed the Daviess County Savings Association in Gallatin, MO. Although the robbery resulted in little money, it appears that Jesse shot and killed the cashier, Captain John Sheets. Purportedly, James mistakenly believed the cashier to be Samuel P. Cox, the militia officer who had killed his friend "Bloody Bill" Anderson during the Civil War. James’ attempt at revenge combined with the fearless escape he and Frank made through the middle of a posse shortly after the robbery resulted in James being publicly labeled an "outlaw" for the first time in his life.

Provenance: The Rick Mach Collection of Civil War & Western Photography