Ambrotype

Mariah Ramus, circa 1860, V1978.174.37; Ramus family papers and photographs, 1978.174; Brooklyn Historical Society.

The photo of the week is an example of an ambrotype, a wet collodian photographic process that produces positive images on glass that is backed with black paper or velvet. The ambrotype was introduced in the 1850s and patented by James Ambrose Cutting. This process quickly gained popularity and surpassed the daguerreotype as the preferred photographic process. Ambrotypes were less expensive, quicker, and some preferred the less-reflective surface of the ambrotype compared to the daguerreotype. Ambrotypes were fragile, and typically stored in folding cases or protective frames like the photograph above. New photographic formats and techniques introduced in the late 1850s led to the decline of the ambrotype by the 1860s.

The photo of the week depicts Mariah Ramus around 1860 at an unknown studio in Brooklyn. This photograph comes from the Ramus family papers and photographs collection. This collection comprises personal papers, correspondence, ephemera, and photographs spanning from 1848 to 1910, pertaining to the Ramus family in Brooklyn. Issac Ramus was a retail dealer in hosiery and undergarments with a store located at 385 Canal Street in Manhattan. He and his wife Esther Baruth lived at 214 Dean Street in Brooklyn with their two sons. To view more photographs from this collection, check out this gallery.

Interested in seeing more photos from BHS’s collection? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images. Interested in seeing even more historic Brooklyn images? Visit our Brooklyn Visual Heritage website here. To search BHS’s entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections visit BHS’s Othmer Library Wed-Sat, 1:00-5:00 p.m. library@brooklynhistory.org