The Collodion Process

The Collodion Process

Up until 1851, when Frederick Scott Archer, an English engraver and sculptor, introduced the Collodion Process, photographs lacked definition and were very grainy. In most photographic processes they also lacked the ability to produce multiple copies. In 1847 the albumin in egg whites was the best available method of binding the silver salts – often to glass in order to make a ‘negative’. In 1851, Archer started using ‘collodion’, which was nitrocellulose (guncotton) dissolved in either ether or alcohol. Collodian is a clear liquid-gel, used from the mid 1800s until at lease the 1980s as a medical liquid bandage.

In photography, this was used by painting the collodion/silver salt on glass (as a support). This had several advantages such as graininess was decreased; clarity was increased; and if the collodion/silver salt mixture was used wet, the exposure time was decreased. However this wet method required a portable darkroom (pulled by a horse of course!) if photographs were taken away from the studio. The dry collodion/silver salt coating on glass had very little light sensitivity so was rarely used as exposure times were too long. The size of the paper prints were still restricted by the size of the glass plate.

This process was used until approximately 1890.

 

REFERENCES

Leggat, Robert; ‘The Collodion Method’, 2001 http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/history/collodio.htm

Davenport, Alma; ‘The History of photography, an Overview’ p19

Rosenblum, Naomi; ‘History of Photograohy’ 3^rd Ed pp 32-34

PHOTO: http://expositions.bnf.fr/legray/images/3/025.jpg

Olympe Aguado, Self Portrait with His Brother Onésipe, 1853, collodion print, 250 x178 mm, (© Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des Estampes et de la photographie)