Extremely Scarce Civil War–Era Photographic Manual – “The Photograph and Ambrotype Manual”

Description

Extremely Scarce Civil War–Era Photographic Manual – “The Photograph and Ambrotype Manual”

Scarce Civil War–Era Photographic Manual – “The Photograph and Ambrotype Manual,” 1861 – With Period Chemical Fingerprints

Rare early American photographic reference: The Photograph and Ambrotype Manual: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Taking Positive and Negative Photographs on Paper and Glass, by N. G. Burgess, published in New York by Hubbard, Burgess & Co., 1861 (Seventh Edition).

This important manual was issued at the height of the wet-plate collodion era, when ambrotypes and early albumen photographs dominated American photography—precisely the process responsible for the vast majority of Civil War images. The book served as a working guide for professional photographers, containing detailed instructions, formulas, and chemical recipes for producing positive photographs on glass and paper, preparing plates, washing prints, retouching photographs, and managing the various chemical baths required for the ambrotype and collodion processes.

Of particular interest is the presence of dark chemical stains and embossed fingerprints on the pages, almost certainly left by a period photographer handling the manual while working with silver nitrate, collodion, or related photographic chemicals. Such evidence of actual studio use is rarely encountered and provides a tangible connection to the working practices of 19th-century photographers—possibly even those producing portraits during the Civil War period.

The manual includes extensive sections on:

• Preparation of glass plates
• Collodion formulas and chemical baths
• Washing and finishing positive prints
• Retouching photographs
• Practical studio methods used by leading American operators
• Published in the first year of the Civil War, the work reflects the technical knowledge employed by the photographers who created the iconic images of the conflict.

The volume remains well preserved with clear typography and complete text, displaying honest period use and scattered chemical staining consistent with a working photographic reference.

An exceptionally scarce and evocative early photographic manual, directly tied to the techniques that produced Civil War ambrotypes and early glass plate photography.

Inventory Number: HIS 318