Ambrotype (Positive Collodion)

Back to PMG Photographic Processes
Page Information	Page Information
Date initiated 	January 2012
Contributors 	Amy Brost; Luisa Casella; Lisa Duncan
__TOC__
==Ambrotype==
The ambrotype is an under-exposed wet collodion negative on glass that appears positive due to the presence of a dark backing or use of dark glass support. In most instances, the image is varnished and placed in a case for safe-keeping. 19th century ambrotypes were displayed in miniature cases just like daguerreotypes.
The “common ambrotype” is a clear glass support backed with a dark piece of textile, metal, secondary glass or paper, or painted directly onto the back of the image. The “ruby ambrotype” is printed onto a dark glass support that is red when viewed in transmitted light. This technique doesn’t require additional backings. Known examples of ambrotypes printed on yellow or blue glass supports exist, but the occurrence is rare. 
=== Historical Facts ===
Invented: In 1851, Frederick Scott Archer presented the wet plate collodion technique to the photographic societies. He didn’t patent the technique.
Patented: Although earlier practitioners were producing precursors to the ambrotype, i.e. daguerreotypes without reflection, daguerreotypes on glass, collodion positives, positive pictures on glass, verreotypes, James Ambrose Cutting submitted the first official series of patents in 1854. He coined the word, “ambrotype” from the Greek word for “imperishable”. 
Main Period of Use: Popular in North America from 1850 to 1870.
Historic Practitioners: Any daguerreotypist involved in commercial portraiture around 1850 would have dabbled in the production of ambrotypes. One well-known daguerreotypist was Platt D. Babbitt (active 1853-1870).
Contemporary Practitioners:
List of contemporary photographers producing ambrotypes: http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/category/gallery-by-process/ambrotype-photographers
=== Identification Characteristics===
Image layer: Collodion and physically developed silver, usually varnished. 
Color: Monochrome (may have applied color) 
Support: Glass (possibly backed with dark paint).
There may also be a secondary dark textile, metal, glass or paper support. 
Analysis: A varnish will fluoresce in UV light. Varnished plates will not show signs of image “tarnish”. Unvarnished plates will exhibit white or red-yellow “tarnish” layers over the image.
See also Cased Photographs.
=== Process Overview ===
Ambrotypes are created using a wet-plate printing technique. The plate must be wet for the whole procedure - sensitizing, exposing, developing, fixing, and rinsing.
First a glass plate is prepared by filing down the edges so they are smooth. Sometimes an albumen subbing layer was applied to the glass prior to the collodion. Then the collodion is poured to the center and allowed to flow to cover the whole plate. Surface tension and a steady hand keep it from spilling. Once it sets up, the plate is taken into a dark room and placed into a bath of silver nitrate, which sensitizes it. Then the plate is placed into a plate holder (a back for a large format camera). Then the plate is placed in the camera and exposed. It is only sensitive to blue/UV light, so artificial blue-light sources are helpful, and sunlight is effective. 
The result is a laterally reversed image of the original scene. 
The camera back is taken into the darkroom and a shot-glass of developer is poured onto the surface and must be poured evenly or defects result. After about 30 seconds, the plate is rinsed. It is fixed in hypo or potassium cyanide to dissolve the remaining unexposed silver salts. 
A varnish (usually shellac or copal, but commonly a "home-brew" of many components) is applied to protect the image. 
Coloring may be applied over the image layer using dry pigments.
Cuttings original patents in 1854 called for sandwiching the plate between another piece of glass, so these particular images were not finished in the same way as many.
=== Conservation and Treatment===
*Flaking of applied dark backing: This can be conservatively addressed by placing a dark secondary support such as black matboard or matboard toned with black carbon pigment, or an exposed and archivally processed matte photographic paper. Areas of loss may also be consolidated. Inpainting can also be done using pigments in acrylic resins, over an isolating layer.
*Grime on the surface: If unvarnished, the exposed collodion layer is very fragile and should be treated with care. A soft brush can be used. Test any solvents (including water) before use as varnishes, paints and the collodion layer are sensitive to many organic solvents. Even water can dissolve weakened collodion layers. It is best to use non-polar i.e. mineral spirits solvents as most varnishes and the collodion layers are not sensitive. Ethanol and acetone are NOT recommended. The cover glass of an ambrotype, when present, can be separately washed in water/ ethanol solution or water and Photo-flo followed by ethanol rinse. Let air dry entirely before re-sealing against ambrotype to avoid condensation. 
*Broken glass: The image can be repaired with adhesives that do not contain polar solvents. Testing should be done before use. There are also passive techniques for housing an ambrotype without repairing the glass. Consider looking at conservation literature on housing broken glass plate negatives. 
*Soft or cracked image layer: Glass that was improperly manufactured is susceptible to “glass disease”. Ambrotypes printed on this diseased glass will exhibit soft or cracking collodion and/or varnish layers. There is no easy fix for this problem as it’s inherent. Get good digital captures of the image and protect it from sticking to dust and other storage materials.
=== Housing and Storage===
The ambrotype glass support is extremely fragile. 19th century ambrotypes housed in cases are considered composite in nature (glass, wood, leather, paper, adhesives) and should be stored in an environment that doesn’t fluctuate and is kept at around 68F and 45% RH. Freezing is not recommended as any condensation on the plate during thawing may be catastrophically damaging. Loose ambrotypes (not in original cases) are particularly susceptible and should be placed in custom-made rigid enclosures. 
=== Emergency Recovery===
If ambrotype is in case and suffered water damage, remove from case and air dry.
Avoid touching the image layer surface.
Freezing is not recommended as any condensation on the plate during thawing may be catastrophically damaging. 
=== Further Reading ===
See also Cased Photographs bibliography
Conservation
* Duncan, Lisa, 2009."Technical Study of Five Ruby Ambrotypes". Unpublished. Available for download at: https://www.lisaduncanllc.com/pdf/duncan_technical_study_ambrotype1.pdf 
*Gold, Jens. (2018). The Ambrotype / Wet Collodion Positives on Glass: Treatment Challenges on Complex Nineteenth-Century Photographic Objects. Masters Thesis. Available online.
*Hendriks, Klaus B., with Brian Thurgood, Joe Iraci, Brian Lesser, Greg Hill. 1991. Fundamentals of Photograph Conservation: A Study Guide. Toronto, Ontario: Lugus Publicationsfor the National Archives of Canada.
*King, Chris. 1978. "My Grandmother has One of Those—Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, Tintypes—TheirProblems, Processes and Care," Conference of Students in Art Conservation, April 10-12, 1978, pp. 82-97.
*Lavedrine, Bertrand (with Jean-Paul Gandolfo, John McElhone, and Sibylle Monod). 2007 (French version), 2009 (English Version). 
*Moor, I. 1976. "The ambrotype—research into its restoration and conservation Part 1". The paper conservator. 1: 22-25.
*Moor I. 1976. "The ambrotype—research into its restoration and conservation Part 2". The paper conservator 2: 36-43.
*Norris, Debbie. 1983. "The Proper Storage and Display of a Photographic Collection". Paper presented to the Washington Conservation Guild, March 1983. Available at: http://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/bpg/annual/v02/bp02-08.html
*Photographs of the Past: Process and Preservation. Los Angeles, CA: The Getty Conservation Institute.
*Reilly, James M. 1986. Care and Identification of Nineteenth-Century Photographic Prints. Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak.
* Whitman, Katherine. 2007. "The History and Conservation of Glass SUpported Photographs". Fellowship capstone research of the Advanced Residency Program. George Eastman House. Available at: http://notesonphotographs.org/index.php?title=Whitman,_Katharine._%22The_History_and_Conservation_of_Glass_Supported_and_Protected_Photographs.%22#Wet-plate_Collodion_on_Glass
Process and Historic Material
*Burgess, N.G. 1858. "The photograph and ambrotype manual: a practical treatise". New York, NY: Wiley and Halsted. This book can be browsed online at: https://archive.org/details/photographambrot00burguoft
*Coe, Brian and Mark Haworth-Booth. 1983. A Guide to Early Photographic Processes. London: Victoria and Albert Museum.
*Crawford, William. 1979. The Keepers of Light. New York: Morgan & Morgan. p. 199-212
*GEH Notes on Photographs: http://notesonphotographs.org/index.php?title=Ambrotype 
*Humphrey, S.D. 1857."A Practical Manual of the Collodion Process", 3rd ed. Humphrey's Journal. New York, NY. This book can be browsed online at: https://archive.org/details/practicalmanualo00humprich
*Newhall, B. 1958. "Ambrotype, a short and unsuccessful career". Image. International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House. 7(8): 171-177.
*Osterman, Mark. 2009. "Ambrotype Process: Wet Collodion Positives on Glass". Advanced Residency Program workshop notes. Available at: http://notesonphotographs.org/index.php?title=Osterman,_Mark._%22Ambrotype_Process:_Wet_Collodion_Positives_on_Glass%22
*Preus Museum. (2020, April 22). Ambrotypes - What are they? [Video]. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/410585070
*Sutton, Thomas. 1857. "A Treatise on the Positive Collodion Process". London: Bland and Long. This book can be browsed online at: https://archive.org/details/atreatiseonposi00suttgoog
Contemporary Practice
*Alternative Photography (instructions): http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/processes
*Analog Photography Users Group (APUG): http://www.apug.org/forums/home.php 
*List of contemporary photographers producing ambrotypes: http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/category/gallery-by-process/ambrotype-photographers
*Wikipedia entry for Ambrotype: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrotype
Category:Photographic Materials
Category: Photographic Processes
Back to Photographic Materials Chapter List Back to PMG Photographic Processes