Matthew Brady has become a household name. He’s well known for his photojournalistic coverage of the American Civil War. Coffee Table Books of his famous picture adorn the coffee tables in many American homes today. While millions appreciate his fabulous photographs few understand the arduous process that he had to follow in order to make those breathtaking shots of raging battles, dramatic portraits, and candid shots of the Civil War soldier and camp life. The physical dangers that he faced to make those historic picture aside; the photographic processes that he used to make them were arduous in and of themselves. Matthew Brady, the same as all photographers between 1835 and the late 1880’s, used the “Wet Collodion Process” to make his pictures.
The “Wet Collodion Process” is a four-step process that begins with preparing the plate in the field to the making of the positive print from the developed negative. As a rule, the photographer had thirty minutes from the time he prepared the plate to make the exposure and process the plate because the exposure had to be made while the plate was still wet or at least damp. That makes it obvious why they called it the wet Collodion process, right?
Having to prepare the plates just before they were used might not have been a big deal for the photographer safely ensconced in his studio but think of how much of a strain this put on Matthew Brady with the battles raging around him as he worked in his battlefield darkroom. He couldn’t prepare a few dozen plates ahead of time and then store them until he needed them because they would dry up and become useless. As a rule, he prepared them as the battle raged around him. In his darkened tent, he had no way of knowing what was happening around him. Can you imagine the courage that took? The bravery he exhibited as an unarmed citizen photographer in order to make those pictures that we have all come to treasure. What I want to do here is walk you through the steps that he took repeatedly to make those pictures.
The Four Step Collodion Process
1. Preparing the Plate: To prepare the plate in his darkened tent or wagon, Brady poured thick, syrupy Collodion over a thin sheet of glass. The thin coating formed on the glass plate was transparent. Brady then submerged the coated glass plate into a Silver Nitrate bath to make it sensitive to light. After removing the glass plate from the Silver Nitrate solution, he inserted it in a wooden plate holder. A wooden slider protected the light sensitive surface until it was inserted in the camera.
2. Making the Exposure: Brady had to first carefully focus the camera. To focus the camera he had to place his head under a dark cloth so he could see the inverted image on the ground glass. While watching that image, he racked the bellows in and out until the image was in perfect focus. Once focused he inserted the plate holder and pulled out the protective slider. His camera had no shutter. To make the exposure he had to remove a lens cap. Exposures were long, 15 to 30 seconds in length. Once the exposure was completed, he replaced the lens cap. Replacing the protective slider he removed the exposed plate in its plate holder and replaced it with a fresh one for making another exposure.
3. Developing the Plate: Once the plate was completely dry, Brady placed the plate in the developer (pyrogallic acid) bath. After the appropriate time passed, he removed the plate from the developer and immersed it in the fixer bath (usually potassium cyanide or sodium thiosulfate), using a shortstop bath between developer and fixer baths didn’t come until years later. The fixer bath removed all unexposed Silver Nitrate crystals. After the fixer bath, the plate was placed in a final bath of water to wash all traces of the fixer from the plate. The plate was then set aside to dry.
4. Printing the Positive Print: Once the plate was completely dry, it was placed face down on a piece of light sensitive paper and placed in the sunlight. Depending on the condition of the sunlight, the exposure could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. After the exposure was complete, the print was developed just as the plate had been.
Now that you know what Matthew Brady went through to make those famous photographs, I’m sure your respect for the photographer will have grown significantly. Matthew Brady ranks right up there with the bravest battlefield journalist of today.
Note to the reader: the articles in this series won’t be in any given order so you don’t have to read them in any given order. Each article will stand by itself, being
complete in itself.
