Spain: n/a, 1850. An example of a Spanish ambrotype photograph. The image is a 2 x 1.75 inches (quarter plate) glass plate held in a gold coloured soft metal frame (2.5 inches by 2 inches) There is no backing plate, and the black is quite scratched and chipped. There is also a small burn to the woman's face. When held against a white or dark background it is still an attractive image though. Came from a Spanish collection.
Ambrotype also known as a collodion positive in the UK, is a positive photograph on glass. Each is a unique original that could only be duplicated by using a camera to copy it. Developed circa 1850, by the mid 1860's Tintype and Albumen photographs had superseded the process