ambrotype etymology

Etymology:

• Greek: ambrotos ("immortal") + typos ("impression")

Meaning:

An ambrotype is a form of early photography that employs a collodion-coated glass plate as its negative.

Origin:

The ambrotype was invented in 1851 by the American photographer Frederick Langenheim. He based it on the wet collodion process, which was developed by Frederick Scott Archer earlier the same year.

In the ambrotype process, a glass plate is coated with collodion, which is a mixture of cellulose nitrate and ether. This coated plate is then dipped into a silver nitrate solution, which sensitizes it to light. The plate is then exposed in a camera, and the exposed areas become black. The unexposed areas are then removed using a solution of sodium thiosulfate.

The resulting image is a direct positive, meaning that it is reversed from the original object. The image is sealed with a layer of varnish to protect it.

Ambrotypes were popular in the mid-19th century, particularly during the American Civil War. They were inexpensive to produce and relatively easy to transport, making them a practical way to capture images of people and events.

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