In the Eye of the Camera, 1840-1867
Mr. George H. Frothingham and daughters May and Hattie, Montreal, QC, 1867
William Notman (1826-1891)
1867, 19th century
Silver salts on glass - Wet collodion process
12 x 17 cm
Purchase from Associated Screen News Ltd.
© McCord Museum
Keywords: family (800) , Photograph (77678) , portrait (53878)
Keys to History
By 1866 the cost of a portrait had come down to the level where the average middle-income family could afford a visit to the photographer. For instance, Notman charged $1.50 for three cartes de visite (2 ½ " x 3 ½", or 6.25 cm x 8.75 cm), and additional copies were three for $1.00. Cabinet photographs (5" x 7", or 12.5 cm x 17.5 cm) were three for $3.00 and hand-coloured cabinets were $5.00. Stereoscopic views were also available for $0.25 apiece.
The exposure time was constantly dropping and on a good sunny day could be as short as a second. On a cloudy day, a subject might have to hold a pose for 20 seconds. Larger negatives required more light, so for a whole-plate negative (8" x 10", or 20 cm x 25 cm), the exposure could take as long as two minutes.