Wet-collodion process, also called collodion process, early photographic technique invented by Englishman Frederick Scott Archer in 1851. ... Immediate developing and fixing were necessary because, after the collodion film had dried, it became waterproof and the reagent solutions could not penetrate it.

Why was the collodion process important?

The collodion process had several advantages: Being more sensitive to light than the calotype process, it reduced the exposure times drastically – to as little as two or three seconds. Because a glass base was used, the images were sharper than with a calotype.

When was the collodion wet plate process invented?

Negatives made of glass, rather than paper, brought a new level of clarity and detail to photographic printing, making the collodion—or wet-plate—process popular from the 1850s through the 1880s. It was discovered in 1851 by Frederick Scott Archer (1813–1857).