# Glass Positive Plates - Silver Gelitin



## rusty (Oct 17, 2012)

Fifteen hundred plus glass positive plates that a contractor found while demolishing and old building near my home.


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## mjgraham (Oct 17, 2012)

I have always wanted to make my own, not sure why just one of those photography things I guess.


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## goldsilverpro (Oct 17, 2012)

A little silver but lots of history.


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## rusty (Oct 17, 2012)

goldsilverpro said:


> A little silver but lots of history.



The contractor turned the glass plates over to the town hall and they would like to have them digitized. I've offered my services at zero cost, we all know how much I love to scan things.

Since each packet contains a proof or two, I'm planning to set up my Sony A900 onto a tripod then fire the camera remotely to capture the image. Once everything is set up and focused properly this job should go rather quickly.

I'm hoping to find some really good architectural shots, horse drawn buggies and what not.


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## joem (Oct 17, 2012)

rusty said:


> goldsilverpro said:
> 
> 
> > A little silver but lots of history.
> ...


It seems that your pre-sight into large format printing has worked it's wonders for you. Nice "find".


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## DONNZ (Oct 17, 2012)

Lite reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daguerreotype

Go down to:
Value in the marketplace


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## Geo (Oct 17, 2012)

Rusty, that is fantastic. i love the old photos and it doesnt matter what the subject matter is. i have been to our local county archives and looked at all the old photos there a couple of dozen times. i really love the photos showing day to day activities whether at home or business in town. the city i live in was literally wiped out twice, once by yellow fever in 1900 and again near the end of the civil war the entire city was razed leaving four structures standing. ive seen pictures of mass graves of yellow fever victims and the ground is still fenced in and bare.covered over with huge stones, it is nearly in the middle of downtown Decatur. theres no marker and im not sure there ever was one. according to the archives, 7 out of 10 died and the photos are the only memorial they have. the scenes was very chilling.


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## DONNZ (Oct 17, 2012)

Fifteen hundred plus glass positive plates. I would be totally engrossed and forget to eat.


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## rusty (Oct 27, 2012)

This wedding portrait is too funny for words.


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## Geo (Oct 27, 2012)

that was probably a re-do. lol


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## joem (Oct 27, 2012)

I can see a question in both their faces and that question is
why me?


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## rusty (Oct 27, 2012)

joem said:


> I can see a question in both their faces and that question is
> why me?



Shotgun wedding you suppose.


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## joem (Oct 28, 2012)

rusty said:


> joem said:
> 
> 
> > I can see a question in both their faces and that question is
> ...



They look like brother and sister :shock:


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## mjgraham (Oct 28, 2012)

I think it is amazing that photos from that process were as good as they are, pretty impressive for the time.


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## rusty (Oct 28, 2012)

The images were seeing were taken early 1900's by the first photographer to come to settle and set up shop, later his studio was taken over by another photographer who stuffed all of the first guys glass positives into a wall cavity.

The earlier this year the building was torn down and this is when the glass plates were discovered, for your entertainment will share a few of he scans.


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## rusty (Nov 17, 2012)

This scanning project turned out to be very interesting, the photographer must have arrived with the first wave of people to settle for he has recorded the birth of a town as it rises from a patch of dirt on the prairie.

From a humble beginning we now have a Livery Stable, Blacksmith Shop, Hardware Store, General Merchant, Lumber Yard the Railway along with a brand new station and the first automobile to arrive into town the Hupmobile.

The big boy below was probably the first towing service available in town to remove all those Fords stuck in the mud after a rain.


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## rusty (Nov 18, 2012)

Neat photo from WWI, just like dad.


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## butcher (Nov 19, 2012)

History
Nice, I would think there are some people in your area that would love to have some copies of these pictures of their relatives, I also noticed every body in town probably had a picture of them standing on that mans rug.


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## qst42know (Nov 19, 2012)

I wonder if the horse feels slighted, no rug.


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## rusty (May 30, 2013)

If you have patience every tree planted in your orchard will bear fruit.

The town of Rossburn for whom I had scanned the glass positives have invited me to set up a booth at the Community Hall for the upcoming Centennial event coming up in July to take orders on reprints.


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## joem (Jun 2, 2013)

Also give everyone who visits your booth your business card for e-waste/metal recovery.


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## rusty (Jun 2, 2013)

joem said:


> Also give everyone who visits your booth your business card for e-waste/metal recovery.



I'm not participating in the Centennial, recommended they use Kelly a local business owner. I've already been in contact with her, should she take the project on, I''l give her access to the digitized images free of charge.

I got what I wanted from the deal, a brand new Epson V750 pro scanner which came with various slide holders plus the wet negative holder, paid for in full from the proceeds of doing my end of the project. Plus it was fun.

I do not have an e-waste program in place, its not top priority - advertising would be a waste of paper in my rural location.


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