Ambrotype People

The ambrotype is something of an overlooked process-- not as stunning as the daguerreotype, not as widespread as the tintype. Though there are several variant ways of making an ambrotype, essentially it is made by applying a collodion emulsion to glass, which is then exposed in the camera. The resultant image appears negative until it is backed by something dark-- usually varnish or dark fabric, although certain kinds of tinted glass serve the same purpose without backing. The ambrotype would then be cased. This process was much cheaper than the daguerreotype (which is made on a silver plate) and so become available to a wider segment of society, although it was soon eclipsed by the much cheaper tintype, as well as the increasing popularity of paper prints. Though the ambrotype has rather gone down in history as a poor imitation of the daguerreotype, at its introduction it was in fact praised for not having the annoying mirror reflections of the daguerreotype! 

Ambrotypes are especially interesting to look at in person-- sometimes you can see the texture of the backing fabric in places, sometimes you can see cracks in the varnish, sometimes interesting effects were added (I've seen an ambrotype where the image was backed in black, but the background was backed in gold paint!). Digitized, it's often hard to even see the difference between an ambrotype and a daguerreotype. My earlier posts, preceding my entry into the field of historical photographs, don't really make a distinction. Still though, the ambrotype belongs to a certain period (about 1855 to 1865) and to certain people who lived during that period--let's celebrate their day! 

George Eastman House

Girl at a window with a book, ca. 1860. Source

State Library of New South Wales

A British officer, ca. 1857-1858. Source

George Eastman House

Two men holding a slate with the date-- Jan 8, 1857. Source

National Media Museum

A ambrotype baby with hair clippings held beneath the glass. Source

Museum of Photographic Arts

A portrait of a housekeeper, held in a case with an image of what is probably the house she kept. Source

National Library of Wales

Portrait of a man named Hugh Williams Kyffin playing the harp, Wales, ca. 1870. Source

State Library of New South Wales

Portrait of a man named James Johnson, a shipwreck survivor, 1857. Source

George Eastman House

A smiling woman holding a smiling baby, ca. 1860. Source

A man lettering a sign on an easel. While daguerreotypes and tintypes are inherently flipped, certain ambrotype processes are not. Source

Frederick Scott Archer, inventor of the collodion negative process (closely related to the ambrotype process, and one of the key photographic innovations underpinning 19th C photography), c. 1855. Source

Library of Congress

A drummer boy of the American Civil War. Large numbers of Civil War portraits are ambrotypes. Source

George Eastman House

Two men holding a sheet of paper-- the man on the left also holds a tuning fork. ca. 1855. Source

Museum of Photographic Arts

A tinted portrait of a woman, ca. 1860. Source

Library of Congress

A Civil War period portrait of a black woman. Source

George Eastman House

Two men with a cello, ca. 1860. Source

Library of Congress

A little girl beside a bonnet, 1861-1865. Source

George Eastman House

Two men displaying fans of cards, ca. 1865. Source

George Eastman House

A group of people at Niagara Falls, ca. 1860. Source