What is an Excelsior Wet Plate Camera?

The Excelsior Wet Plate Camera is a historical photographic apparatus invented by August Semmendinger. Production of these cameras began in 1859, with manufacturing taking place in both New York City and Fort Lee, New Jersey. It was designed to utilize the wet-plate collodion photographic process popular in the nineteenth century.

What we know

• The Excelsior Wet Plate Camera was invented by August Semmendinger, who was one of the first manufacturers of wet plate photography. [2, 4]
• Manufacturing of the Excelsior camera began in the year 1859. [2]
• August Semmendinger manufactured these cameras in two locations: New York City and Fort Lee, New Jersey. [2, 4]

Where to go next

• whoWho was August Semmendinger?
• how it workedHow does the collodion wet-plate process work?
• the bigger pictureWhat was nineteenth-century photography like?
• whereWhat was Fort Lee, New Jersey's manufacturing history?
• compared withHow did dry plate photography compare to wet plates?
• an unexpected connectionHow does field photography connect to portable darkrooms?Because wet plates had to be sensitized, exposed, and developed within roughly fifteen minutes, photographers using cameras like the Excelsior in the field required a portable darkroom.

Sources

• [1]Excelsior Wet Plate Camera (Wikidata Q28456006) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Excelsior Wet Plate Camera · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Collodion process · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]August Semmendinger · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Excelsior · CC BY-SA 4.0