Scovill & Adams Photographic Plate Holder, 1890-1902

01

Artifact Overview

Dry plate photography was a primary photographic method until the invention of roll-film in the 1880s. Glass plates coated with light-sensitive gelatin were placed into holders, and exposed in a camera. George Eastman automated this process with his plate-coating machine and factory in 1879. Exacting and demanding, plate-based photography was the opposite of being a mobile or spontaneous process.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic plate holder

Date Made

1890-1902

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

2003.0.77.46

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Iron alloy
Wood (Plant Material)

Dimensions

Height: 14.5 in
Width: 1.0 in
Length: 12.0 in

Inscriptions

frame: THE SCOVILL & ADAMS CO., N.Y.
Scovill & Adams Photographic Plate Holder, 1890-1902