Ambrotype Photographs
Old photographs can be very fascinating and collectable as well. It can be difficult to sort out the different names such as ambrotype, daguerrotype, etc., that refer to various ways an image was turned into something that could be held in the hand.
An ambrotype is quite interesting, as it's made with glass plate that has been dipped in photosensitive silver compounds. The image has to be taken and developed while the plate is still wet, which must have been quite challenging even in a photo studio...I can't imagine trying to take photos of scenery out in the woods! I found a good site with illustrations of the process: http://www.thedaglab.com/ambro_process_details.html
At any rate, once the image was developed, it remained on the sheet of glass and was quite fragile. To turn the negative into a positive image the back of the glass was painted black and the front was fixed with varnish and also covered with glass. The resulting "sandwich" was placed in a frame for protection.
The Ambrotype was popular in the late 1850's until the tintype process became popular in the mid-1860's.
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