wet collodion

n. A photographic process that uses collodion as the binder and silver salts as the light-sensitive agent.

Notes

The wet collodion process was used primarily to make glass negatives and tintypes. It was in common use from 1851 through the 1870s, when it was replaced by processes that used a gelatin binder. The plate must be coated, exposed, and developed before the collodion dries. Negatives made using the wet collodion process are sometimes called wet plate negatives.