Wet Collodion / Ambrotype

1851–1880

Glass plate negatives coated with collodion — sharp, detailed, but must be exposed while still wet.

Collodion (gun cotton dissolved in ether) poured on glass, sensitized with silver nitrate. Portable darkroom required.

1 artist6 colors

Wet Collodion Process

British

Invented by Archer. Combined daguerreotype sharpness with calotype reproducibility. Dominated Civil War photography.

Must be exposed and developed within 15 minutes while collodion stays wet. Ambrotypes are underexposed negatives on black backing.

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Pigments: Silver

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