The Collodion - Photographic Processes Series - Chapter 5 of 12

Summary

This script explores the evolution of photography, emphasizing its early focus on portraiture to capture loved ones' likenesses. It details the daguerreotype's commercial success and the calotype's reproducibility, leading to Frederick Scott Archer's 1851 invention of the wet collodion process. This process allowed for both negatives for paper prints and direct positive plates like ambrotypes and tintypes. It discusses the wet plate's challenges, like the need for a portable darkroom and the physicality of the process, and how it eventually replaced the daguerreotype. The script also touches on photography's cultural impact, transforming memory preservation from stories to visual likenesses.

Takeaways

• 🖼️ Photography initially served as a means for the wealthy to have portraits made, capturing the likeness of ancestors.
• 📸 The primary use of early photography was for portraits, reflecting human interest in documenting the features of loved ones.
• 🔎 Frederick Scott Archer invented the wet collodion process in 1851, which allowed for the creation of glass negatives and various positive prints.
• 📈 The daguerreotype was a commercial success in the 1850s, providing a direct positive image on a metal plate without a negative.
• 📄 The calotype process produced a paper negative that could be easily reproduced, but it resulted in softer, less detailed images compared to the daguerreotype.
• 🎚️ The wet collodion process combined the reproducibility of the positive/negative process with the precision and detail of the daguerreotype.
• 🔑 The wet plate process could produce both negatives for paper prints and direct positive plates like ambrotypes and tintypes.
• 🚛 The process required a portable darkroom for on-site development, presenting a logistical challenge for photographers, especially those capturing landscapes.
• 🏺 Ambrotypes, a type of positive image made with the collodion process, were cased and presented similarly to daguerreotypes.
• 🛡️ Tintypes, another direct positive plate, became popular during the American Civil War as soldiers sent images home, democratizing photography.
• 🌐 Photography has significantly influenced cultural memory, shifting from oral traditions to visual records as the primary means of remembering people and events.

Q & A

What was the primary use of photography before the advent of the wet collodion process?

Before the wet collodion process, photography was primarily used for portraits, as it was the only way for people to have a record of their features and likeness.

Who invented the wet collodion process and in what year?

The wet collodion process was invented by Frederick Scott Archer in 1851.

What were the two main types of photography in the 1850s before the wet collodion process?

In the 1850s, the two main types of photography were the daguerreotype and the calotype paper negative.

What was the main advantage of the daguerreotype over the calotype?

The daguerreotype was more sensitive and produced a sharper image, making it easier to do portraits, but it did not have a negative for reproduction.

How did the wet collodion process address the limitations of the daguerreotype and calotype?

The wet collodion process provided the reproducibility of the positive/negative process with the precision and detail of the daguerreotype, allowing for the production of multiple prints from a single negative.

What are the two types of direct positive plates that the wet collodion process could produce?

The wet collodion process could produce two types of direct positive plates: the ambrotype and the tintype.

Why did the positive/negative process eventually replace the daguerreotype?

The positive/negative process replaced the daguerreotype because it was more economically viable and allowed for the mass production of prints.

What challenges did photographers face when using the wet collodion process for outdoor photography?

Photographers using the wet collodion process for outdoor photography had to carry a portable darkroom and all necessary chemicals, and they had to take the picture and develop it while the plate was still wet, which was a logistical challenge.

What is a characteristic feature of the wet collodion process visible on the glass negatives?

A characteristic feature of the wet collodion process visible on the glass negatives is the pour marks, which are visible as waves on the negative.

How did the wet collodion process influence the democratization of photography?

The wet collodion process, particularly through tintypes, made photography more accessible to the masses, as evidenced by the widespread use of tintypes by soldiers during the American Civil War to send images home.

How did photography change the way people remember and record history according to the script?

Photography changed the way people remember and record history by shifting the focus from remembering through stories and poems to remembering through visual likenesses captured in photographs.