Ferrotypes

Ferrotypes, also known as ferrotype or ferrotyping, is a photographic printing process that was popular in the mid-19th century. It was invented by the Frenchman Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard in 1853, and later improved by the American Henry H. Collen in 1857. The process involves creating a print by pressing a sensitized paper against a negative, then applying heat and pressure to fix the image.

The ferrotyping process begins with a negative, which is a glass plate coated with a light-sensitive emulsion. The negative is placed in a camera and exposed to light, creating a latent image. The negative is then developed in a chemical bath, which makes the latent image visible.

The sensitized paper is a thin, flexible paper coated with a light-sensitive emulsion. The negative is placed on top of the sensitized paper, and the two are pressed together under heat and pressure. This causes the light-sensitive emulsion on the paper to react with the image on the negative, creating a positive image on the paper.

The ferrotyping process was popular for its ability to produce high-quality prints quickly and at a relatively low cost. It was widely used for portraiture, but also for other types of images, such as landscapes and still life. The process was also used for creating postcards and other commercial prints.

However, the ferrotyping process had its limitations. The prints were relatively fragile and could easily be damaged or lost. The process also required a great deal of skill and expertise to produce high-quality prints. Despite these limitations, ferrotyping played an important role in the development of photography as a medium for artistic expression and communication.