The Bicentennial of Photography - The Wet Collodion Process

Invented in 1851 by the Englishman Frederick Scott Archer (with a possible contribution from the Frenchman Gustave Le Gray), wet collodion—also known as a monochrome silver negative—quickly replaced the daguerreotype thanks to its speed and lower cost. This process, based on a mixture of cotton powder (nitrocellulose), as well as ether and iodine salts, is applied to glass plates (ambrotypes) or tin plates (ferrotypes), which are made light-sensitive by a silver nitrate bath.
Discover the portraits photographed by Romain Vigouroux on the facade of the Esplanade du Lac, and learn the secrets of the wet collodion process in the building’s lobby during opening hours! Free access.

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