Are you looking for a unique activity near Boston? What about something that evokes our shared history? In recent years, this long-forgotten pastime has seen a surprising resurgence. Tintype photography almost disappeared after the 1930s, but local artists today are finding new beauty in the medium, leading modern Bay Staters to embrace this once-extinct style of photography.

Tintype photography produces an image on a thin metal sheet, making the pictures durable and long-lasting. The technique was most popular in the 1860s and 1870s, and although some artists continued to use the form as late as the Jazz Age, it largely disappeared.

Still, in a period when portraiture was primarily an elite privilege, tintype was revolutionary. Historians credit the technique with democratizing portraits, allowing working people to capture images of their friends and family, pictures they could treasure and pass on. Thanks to tintype photography, we can gaze back in time to the faces, clothing, and daily routines of regular Americans.

With the advent of iPhone cameras, which have made it possible to immediately see— and critique— photos of ourselves and others, it might seem surprising that such an antiquated form of photography has taken off.

But people are clearly ready for a different approach to portraiture, one that produces a tangible object they can cherish and display. In the past several years, tintype photography studios have sprung up across the state.

Evoke Tintype near Boston, for instance, has grown into a thriving company despite using a Civil War-era technique. The studio sells still-life images, but it's portraits that earn it the most business.

Using a 1940s Deardorff camera, artists Maureen Feeley and Dave Caramello produce arresting images of couples, individuals, and even pets. Their photos have a timeless quality. Shot this way, subjects can see themselves outside our fleeting, present-day beauty standards. For the camera-shy (I'm raising my hand here), the experience can be revelatory. For the first time, they're gifted a photo of themselves they actually like. One reason for this is that tintypes are reversed images, reflecting people as they see themselves in the mirror.

If you're looking for a unique activity near Boston, I recommend investigating local tintype studios like Evoke in nearby Revere. This long-lost photographic technique has seen a recent resurgence, reflecting people's desire for images they can cherish and a growing exhaustion with the disposability of smartphone pictures. Whether you're visiting from out of town or a long-time local, I recommend adding this activity to your Massachusetts bucket list.