Page 1 of 1

End of the glass plate negatives

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2012 7:44 pm
by FatBear
Can anyone give me an idea when film replaced glass plate negatives?

Thanks.

--Brian

Re: End of the glass plate negatives

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2012 8:15 pm
by Ornello
Early in the 20th century. I doubt that glass plates were in wide use after about 1920 or so.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_plate

Re: End of the glass plate negatives

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2012 10:06 pm
by FatBear
Interesting. I think most of us here are somewhat anachronistic. Apparently my great uncle was, too. Here are some photos he took of his relatives in the mid 1930s. (My Mom and aunt are the two young children in some of them and they were born in 1935 and 1933.) These were contact printed from 5x7 glass plate negatives made by my uncle Orville Hoy who was an amateur photographer.

http://www.myflotsam.com/Images/Ancient ... late02.//jpg//
http://www.myflotsam.com/Images/Ancient ... late03.//jpg//
http://www.myflotsam.com/Images/Ancient ... late04.//jpg//
http://www.myflotsam.com/Images/Ancient ... late06.//jpg//
http://www.myflotsam.com/Images/Ancient ... late07.//jpg//
http://www.myflotsam.com/Images/Ancient ... late08.//jpg//
http://www.myflotsam.com/Images/Ancient ... late09.//jpg//

And here is one of his father, Jesse David Hoy, which was taken on a smaller plate. I think it was 4-1/4 x 5-3/4 or something odd like that. It was probably taken around the turn of the previous century when glass plates were the norm.

http://www.myflotsam.com/Images/Ancient ... late01.//jpg//

--Brian

Re: End of the glass plate negatives

Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2012 10:09 pm
by FatBear
So were special cameras required for shooting on dry emulsion glass plates?

--Brian

Re: End of the glass plate negatives

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:35 am
by Ornello
FatBear wrote:So were special cameras required for shooting on dry emulsion glass plates?

--Brian
View cameras of course.

Re: End of the glass plate negatives

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:37 pm
by FatBear
Sorry, it was late. What I meant to learn was how the glass plate negatives were handled in the camera. With film we use "film holders". Before that did they just use similar "plate holders" with somewhat different dimensions? But don't worry, it was just idle curiosity. If I really want to know, I'll put Google to work on it.

Thanks,

--Brian

Re: End of the glass plate negatives

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 3:31 pm
by Ornello
FatBear wrote:Sorry, it was late. What I meant to learn was how the glass plate negatives were handled in the camera. With film we use "film holders". Before that did they just use similar "plate holders" with somewhat different dimensions? But don't worry, it was just idle curiosity. If I really want to know, I'll put Google to work on it.

Thanks,

--Brian

Plate holders, similar to sheet film holders, I suppose.

Re: End of the glass plate negatives

Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 12:44 pm
by Keith Tapscott.
FatBear wrote:Can anyone give me an idea when film replaced glass plate negatives?

Thanks.

--Brian
Brian, it would probably be easier to find an answer on the large-format camera forum.
Glass-plate negatives may still be available on special orders, but I honestly don't know.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/

Re: End of the glass plate negatives

Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:22 am
by foolscape
I just bought a couple of old glass plate holders, and I'm looking forward to coating some glass plates for them. I have some Liquid Light, and I seem to remember from somewhere that you have to coat them with gelatin first so that the emulsion will stick.

--Gary

Re: End of the glass plate negatives

Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 1:05 pm
by FatBear
foolscape wrote:I just bought a couple of old glass plate holders, and I'm looking forward to coating some glass plates for them. I have some Liquid Light, and I seem to remember from somewhere that you have to coat them with gelatin first so that the emulsion will stick. --Gary
Isn't Liquid Light already gelatin based?

Another alternative (and I really mean alternative) process would be to make your own emulsion like these folks do:

http://thelightfarm.com/Map/GlassNegati ... sPart1.htm

Their whole website is a wealth of information:

http://thelightfarm.com/

Makes me wish I still had my Linhof ...

--Brian

Re: End of the glass plate negatives

Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 3:08 pm
by foolscape
FatBear wrote:Makes me wish I still had my Linhof ...

--Brian
Buy another one. It could be fun.

--Gary

Re: End of the glass plate negatives

Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 3:38 pm
by FatBear
Gary, that outfit - The Light Farm - appears to be over in Newport (Oregon) or vicinity. Small world.

Re: End of the glass plate negatives

Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 9:25 am
by Padan62
Can anyone give an idea about the glass plate negatives clearly?

Re: End of the glass plate negatives

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 3:32 pm
by Ornello
Padan62 wrote:Can anyone give an idea about the glass plate negatives clearly?
What do you mean? We have answered the question. Glass plates were available until relatively recently, but rarely used after the 1920s, for obvious reasons.