Early Photography Question???

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Posted By: Ralph

Just wondering about the negatives back in the early 1880's.My question is this:Were'nt the negatives made from glass? I know someone who has many of old glass negatives of Baseball players & other famous places.I have tried to buy but he refuses to sell & I won't give his name out because I will be selfish here & try to maybe one day grab one of those neggy's but I would like to know if they are legit or not.I have seen one that is a neggy of The Old Man of the Mountains & it was dated 1896.
Thanks.

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Posted By: D Brown

I would bet that they're lantern slides -- mass produced -- not original negatives. Tons of lantern slides around, they were like stereo views, a way of seeing the world in the pre-TV, pre picture-press era. (Never seen any baseball ones -- anyone else?)

Glass negatives were used between the 1850s and the 1920s, though had started to go out of use by the very early 1900s with the invention of the Kodak & etc. Lantern slides had a briefer flowering.

David

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Posted By: Ralph

Thanks for the reply,the Baseball ones were player's from minor league teams & they are beautiful as they look like etchings.I'll have to do more research into these,again thanks for that info