Positive and Negative in Wet Plate Photography
- Feb 26
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 28
Wet plate photography has two forms: positive and negative.When you search for wet plate photography, you may see glass photographs (ambrotypes), tintypes, or old paper prints such as albumen prints.All of them are wet plate photographs, yet they look quite different, which can sometimes be confusing.
In fact, wet plate photography can be broadly divided into two categories: wet plate positives and wet plate negatives.
Simply knowing this distinction can change the way you see wet plate photographs.
Wet Plate Positive
Ambrotypes and tintypes belong to the category of wet plate positives.The difference between ambrotypes and tintypes is discussed in another article.
When viewed against a dark background, they appear as positive images.In reality, however, they are thin negatives.。
A delicate negative, supported by a dark backing, allows the positive image to emerge.Even when you understand the mechanism, it still feels quietly remarkable.
Most importantly, the plate itself is the final object.It is not made with reproduction in mind.The glass or metal plate is the finished photograph.It is complete as a single piece.
The Role of the Wet Plate Negative
There is also the wet plate negative.
This type is created for making paper prints.A thin image like an ambrotype does not produce sufficient tonal range when printed on paper.For printing, a denser negative is required.
What does “denser” mean?
If you hold an ambrotype up to the light, you can see through it.By contrast, a wet plate negative intended for printing blocks most of the light in its dark areas.Only the lighter areas allow light to pass.This difference in how light passes through the plate is what we call density.
By using a different approach in exposure and development from that of wet plate positives, this greater density is achieved.When the negative effectively blocks light, the image appears clearly on paper.
Below are scanned images of the same wet plate positive (an ambrotype with black cloth placed behind the glass), the wet plate negative, and a paper print made from that negative.
Even when depicting the same person, an ambrotype and a paper print have a noticeably different presence.One negative is meant to be viewed directly.The other is meant to be printed.Though both are wet plates, they are made differently. The paper print is particularly characterized by the visible texture of the paper surface.
The World of Albumen Prints
One of the most representative paper prints made from wet plate negatives is the albumen print.By using an egg white–based light-sensitive layer, it produces a gentle sheen and rich tonal gradation.From a single negative, multiple prints can be made.In the nineteenth century, this ability to reproduce images played a major role in the spread of photography.
When looking at albumen prints made in the Meiji era, the texture and tonal depth become especially clear.
In the nineteenth century, the ability to reproduce photographs was central to the medium’s purpose.Today, creating multiple copies of an image carries little special meaning.
Within that context, a wet plate positive—complete as a single object—takes on a distinct significance.
About the technique of wet plate photography → What is wet plate photography?
Learn more about wet plates → Wet Plate Journal (blog)
See the actual work → Gallery
Want to try photography or experience it? → Fees/Workshops
