Collodion, or wet-plate photography as we have come to know it today, was invented in 1851 by a gentleman named Fredrick S. Archer. This process was invented to allow images to be made on glass -- multiple copies then could be made from the same plate. In 1856, the tin type process was added, allowing collodion images to be made on thin sheets of metal.

The unique thing about this process is that the plate must remain wet prior to being sensitized and exposed. If the plate dries out before the photographer has time to develop the image, it will no longer be light sensitive and will be completely useless. Hence the name "wet plate" process.

When you have a wet plate done, not only do you receive a beautiful piece of history with your image in it -- you also get a short history lesson and witness the process of genuine 19th-century photography.

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Here are samples of our Wet Plates, Civil War/Steam punk/Victorian Style: