Early Photographic Process

The experience of having a photographic portrait taken in the nineteenth-century was very different from today's instantaneous process. An early photographer's job involved many steps: he had to prepare the plate, arrange the subject, expose the plate, and develop the photograph himself. Photo processing was also quite complicated, and not available at the drugstore like it is today.

In the nineteenth century, people having their portraits taken had to remain absolutely motionless for the exposure time of more than twenty-five minutes so the image would not be blurred. This prolonged exposure time for daguerreotypes and ambrotypes resulted in many portraits of stiff and unsmiling faces. To help children remain still for their portraits, photographers resorted to devices like head clamps and baby holders as seen in a few of the nineteenth-century ambrotypes in this exhibition.

As technical advances improved cameras and reduced complicated processes and overall costs, photographers became much more willing to experiment with the medium. By adding a few props or backdrops, a photographer could transform a stark indoor photography studio into a number of outdoor fantasy settings. Many of the nineteenth-century tintypes in this exhibition contain examples of the different wonderlands that a photographer could recreate inside his studio.

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