AMBROTYPE

An ambrotype is made by coating a wet, light sensitive emulsion on a glass plate in the darkroom. The plate is then inserted into a light tight plate holder and then the plate holder is inserted into the prearranged camera. The dark slide is removed and the exposure is made by removing the lens cap thus exposing the plate. The dark slide is replaced and the holder is then removed from the camera and taken back into the darkroom and in the dark, while the plate is still wet, it is developed and fixed and washed with water and placed to air dry. After the plate is dry the back is coated with a black backing and placed under a brass mat with a clear glass cover. The whole package is then wrapped with a brass preserver and placed in a case or frame. The ambrotype process was devised in 1851 by F.S. Archer and P.W. Fry and were mainly used for portraiture as an inexpensive substitute for the daguerreotype.

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"THE AMBROTYPIST"


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©1998 Copyright Brad W. Townsend