Today and tomorrow, Jenn Libby will teach a class at Genesee Libby Studio titled Ambrotypes: Photographs On Glass.

Frederick Scott Archer introduced the wet-plate collodion photographic process in 1851. Collodion was used to produce fine-grain, archival glass negatives, lantern slides, ambrotypes, and tintypes. This class will teach you the basics of the wet-plate collodion process to produce direct positive images on glass, which are know as ambrotypes. Instruction will include how to properly prepare a glass plate, pour collodion, sensitize and process plates, burnish and hand-color final images, apply a protective varnish, and house the photographs to complete the process. Cameras will be provided for use during the class.

[source: Genesee Libby Studio website, 2016-Feb-5]