Reviving Historical Photography in the 21st Century

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Vintage cameras similar to this one are still used today to recreate 19th and 20th century photographic methods. "Vintage Camera" by PMillera4 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Glass plate photography is one form of what is called alternative process photography, defined as "any nontraditional photographic printing process." Although glass plate photography may seem outdated, expensive, or irrelevant in the age of instant digital photographs, many photographers have taken up this and other 19th and early 20th century photography forms in recent years. Collodion wet plate glass negatives, gelatin dry plate negatives, and related forms of photography such as tintypes (made via the wet plate process but on metal instead of glass) are still being produced today.

Today's alternative process photographers are using the same techniques and processes as those used by the Everett C. Block Collection's photographer. They have used these processes to shoot and develop high quality, artistic photographs of Hollywood stars and Northern Planes Native Americans. Some alternative process photographers even offer photography sessions so that anyone can get a glass negative or tintype photograph of themselves. 

Wet plate photography is a laborious, and possibly even dangerous, process. Supplies must be specially bought or thrifted, and photographers must have access to a dark room, certain chemicals, and a knowledge of the careful scientific process behind creating these photographs. However, becoming an alternative process photographer has been made easier by the proliferation of online and in-person workshops, as well as communities on social media sites like Instagram and Facebook.

 

If you are looking to learn more about alternative process photography, there are many resources on the subject. The Penumbra Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit, "brings together the Art and Science of Photography through education, research, outreach, public, and residency programs." The foundation offers educational workshops on wet plate photography and other processes, and two of its employees helped shoot tintype photographs for a recent article in The New York Times. The Society for Photographic Education is another nonprofit organization committed to the promotion of photography. While it does not focus on historical photographic processes, it includes photographers who use them within its ranks. Many books cover historical photography methods, too. Photography: History, Art, Technique and Photography: The Definitive Visual History, both by Tom Ang, are two books on modern and historical photography available at The Urbana Free Library.

If you would like to see more examples of the capabilities of wet plate photography, check out the social media site Instagram where alternative process and historical photographs can be found using the hashtags #wetplate, #wetplatecollodion, #glassnegative, and #tintype.

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This tintype portrait made in 2013 looks similar to those made in the early 1900s, although it has a notably higher quality. "Tintype" by tungstensun is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

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