Deserializing polymorphic json classes without type information using json.net

You can do this fairly easily by creating a custom JsonConverter to handle the object instantiation. Assuming you have your classes defined something like this:

public abstract class GalleryItem
{
    public string id { get; set; }
    public string title { get; set; }
    public string link { get; set; }
    public bool is_album { get; set; }
}

public class GalleryImage : GalleryItem
{
    // ...
}

public class GalleryAlbum : GalleryItem
{
    public int images_count { get; set; }
    public List<GalleryImage> images { get; set; }
}

You would create the converter like this:

public class GalleryItemConverter : JsonConverter
{
    public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
    {
        return typeof(GalleryItem).IsAssignableFrom(objectType);
    }

    public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, 
        Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
    {
        JObject jo = JObject.Load(reader);

        // Using a nullable bool here in case "is_album" is not present on an item
        bool? isAlbum = (bool?)jo["is_album"];

        GalleryItem item;
        if (isAlbum.GetValueOrDefault())
        {
            item = new GalleryAlbum();
        }
        else
        {
            item = new GalleryImage();
        }

        serializer.Populate(jo.CreateReader(), item);

        return item;
    }

    public override bool CanWrite
    {
        get { return false; }
    }

    public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, 
        object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
    {
        throw new NotImplementedException();
    }
}

Here's an example program showing the converter in action:

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        string json = @"
        [
            {
                ""id"": ""OUHDm"",
                ""title"": ""My most recent drawing. Spent over 100 hours."",
                ""link"": ""http://i.imgur.com/OUHDm.jpg"",
                ""is_album"": false
            },
            {
                ""id"": ""lDRB2"",
                ""title"": ""Imgur Office"",
                ""link"": ""http://alanbox.imgur.com/a/lDRB2"",
                ""is_album"": true,
                ""images_count"": 3,
                ""images"": [
                    {
                        ""id"": ""24nLu"",
                        ""link"": ""http://i.imgur.com/24nLu.jpg""
                    },
                    {
                        ""id"": ""Ziz25"",
                        ""link"": ""http://i.imgur.com/Ziz25.jpg""
                    },
                    {
                        ""id"": ""9tzW6"",
                        ""link"": ""http://i.imgur.com/9tzW6.jpg""
                    }
                ]
            }
        ]";

        List<GalleryItem> items = 
            JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<GalleryItem>>(json, 
                new GalleryItemConverter());

        foreach (GalleryItem item in items)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("id: " + item.id);
            Console.WriteLine("title: " + item.title);
            Console.WriteLine("link: " + item.link);
            if (item.is_album)
            {
                GalleryAlbum album = (GalleryAlbum)item;
                Console.WriteLine("album images (" + album.images_count + "):");
                foreach (GalleryImage image in album.images)
                {
                    Console.WriteLine("    id: " + image.id);
                    Console.WriteLine("    link: " + image.link);
                }
            }
            Console.WriteLine();
        }
    }
}

And here is the output of the above program:

id: OUHDm
title: My most recent drawing. Spent over 100 hours.
link: http://i.imgur.com/OUHDm.jpg

id: lDRB2
title: Imgur Office
link: http://alanbox.imgur.com/a/lDRB2
album images (3):
    id: 24nLu
    link: http://i.imgur.com/24nLu.jpg
    id: Ziz25
    link: http://i.imgur.com/Ziz25.jpg
    id: 9tzW6
    link: http://i.imgur.com/9tzW6.jpg

Fiddle: https://dotnetfiddle.net/1kplME

Advanced to Brian Rogers answer. And about "use Serializer.Populate() instead of item.ToObject()". If derived types has contstructors or some of their has own customconverter you must use general way for deserialize JSON. So you must leave work for instantiate new object to NewtonJson. This way you can achieve it in you CustomJsonConverter:

public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
    ..... YOU Code For Determine Real Type of Json Record .......

    // 1. Correct ContractResolver for you derived type
    var contract = serializer.ContractResolver.ResolveContract(DeterminedType);
    if (converter != null && !typeDeserializer.Type.IsAbstract && converter.GetType() == GetType())
    {
        contract.Converter = null; // Clean Wrong Converter grabbed by DefaultContractResolver from you base class for derived class
    }

    // Deserialize in general way           
    var jTokenReader = new JTokenReader(jObject);
    var result = serializer.Deserialize(jTokenReader, DeterminedType);

    return (result);
}

This work if you have recursion of objects.

Simply with JsonSubTypes attributes that work with Json.NET

    [JsonConverter(typeof(JsonSubtypes), "is_album")]
    [JsonSubtypes.KnownSubType(typeof(GalleryAlbum), true)]
    [JsonSubtypes.KnownSubType(typeof(GalleryImage), false)]
    public abstract class GalleryItem
    {
        public string id { get; set; }
        public string title { get; set; }
        public string link { get; set; }
        public bool is_album { get; set; }
    }

    public class GalleryImage : GalleryItem
    {
        // ...
    }

    public class GalleryAlbum : GalleryItem
    {
        public int images_count { get; set; }
        public List<GalleryImage> images { get; set; }
    }