By: Hadley Corwin
James Ambrose Cutting was born in 1814 and was raised in poverty in Haverhill, New Hampshire. Interested in escaping his impoverished childhood, Cutting invested in patents. His first successful business venture was a patent for a new form of beehive, which he sold to acquire enough money to move to Boston in the 1840s [1]. After pursuing other unprosperous patents, Cutting turned his focus to the newest art form: photography [2]. Though making daguerreotype prints was still a burgeoning practice in the mid 1800s, the new art form was wildly popular in the United States. Hundreds of daguerreotype portraiture studios were established in major American cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Boston, where Cutting became involved in the lucrative new industry [3].

Cutting is sometimes mistakenly credited with the invention of the ambrotype, which is not strictly accurate. The collodion wet plate process was invented by Frederick Scott Archer in 1849. Frustrated with the inferior quality of calotypes, Archer launched his quest to discover a better alternative: “The imperfections in paper photography…has induced me to…find some other substance more applicable, and meeting the necessary conditions required of it, such as fineness of surface, transparency and ease of manipulation [4].” After experimenting with various surfaces and solutions, Archer polished and sensitized a plate of glass with a colloidal solution, then exposed the wet plate in a camera. Archer’s discoveries led directly to the invention of the carte de visites and tintypes, in addition to ambrotypes. Archer published his findings in The Chemist in 1851 [5] and released A Manual of the Collodion Photographic Process in 1852 [6]. James Cutting quickly recognized the value in a photographic process that produced a crisp image, was accessible to the average consumer, and was relatively quick. Building off the discoveries of Archer and other inventors, Cutting perfected the wet collodion process and patented the ambrotype [7].

In 1854, James Cutting was awarded three patents for his creation of collodion positive photographs on glass. The patents reference chemicals used and handling of chemicals in the collodion process. Cutting also patented his method of sealing collodion images with balsam under a thin glass layer. It is important to note that Cutting patented his improvements on the collodion process, rather than the process itself. Several years later, Cutting collaborated with Lodowick H. Bradford to develop and patent their lithographic limestone printing plate [8].

There is some debate about the origin of the term “ambrotype.” James Ambrose Cutting claimed to have named the ambrotype after himself, but there is also evidence that Philadelphia daguerreotypes Marcus A. Root derived the name from the Greek word ambrotos, which means “imperishable [9].” Either way, the ambrotype quickly gained popularity since it gave a clearer image than a calotype and was less expensive than a daguerreotype. The reduced exposure time of an ambrotype was also a major development in photography, making it easier than ever to capture an image. Ambrotypes were most popular in the 1850s and 1860s, but the method was used through the 1890s [10]. During this time, tintypes, made from a similar wet collodion process that uses metal instead of glass, competed with ambrotypes for public favor. The wet collodion process made photography more mobile than ever, and photographers began to take photos outside of their studios. This corresponded with westward expansion and manifest destiny in the mid-late 1800s, which fostered an age of adventure and expeditionary photography [11].

Previously, the wet plate collodion process was used for glass negatives. With Cutting’s innovations, collodion glass plate negatives could be used to create positive prints on paper. The first step in making an ambrotype is to perfectly clean a glass plate. Next, nitrocellulose is dissolved in alcohol and ether to make collodion. Collodion combined with potassium iodide is then coated onto the glass plate. After the plate is evenly coated, the glass is submerged in silver nitrate. Silver nitrate’s reaction with potassium iodide makes the plate light sensitive [12]. To turn the collodion negative into a positive, the photographer applies a dark backing in the form of paint, cloth, or paper. At this point, the photographer may place the plate in the camera and expose it to light. The plate is then developed using pyrogallic acid and fixed with sodium thiosulfate, before being washed, dried, and printed [13]. After printing, artists hand painted ambrotypes, giving figures rosy cheeks and red lips, and highlighting jewels and belts with hints of gold [14].                                                              
Like daguerreotypes, ambrotypes were packaged in thermoplastic cases and ornate frames to protect the photograph and present them as precious objects. Ambrotypes were sold and presented as a less expensive alternative to daguerreotypes. Previously, photographs were reserved for the wealthy, else the common person had to spend their hard-earned savings on this luxury. The inexpensive cost of this new photographic process made photos available to a new class of people and the period saw an increase in visual documentation of the average person [15].Ambrotypes are often confused with daguerreotypes because of their similar appearance and presentation. Daguerreotypes, however, have reflective surfaces whereas ambrotypes do not. This was considered a downside of ambrotypes, since they appeared dull when compared to the brilliant shine of daguerreotypes [16].

James Cutting’s ambitions in the photography industry were largely motivated by his desire for fortune. Cutting had expensive interests such as yachting, and owned a yacht called “The Ambrotype [17].” Never satisfied with his accomplishments, Cutting continued his moneymaking pursuits. Inspired by his yachting adventures, he opened a public aquarium in 1859 called the Boston Aquarial Gardens. Aquariums were a novelty in America and the venture proved popular and profitable. Cutting hoped to take his aquarium even further by building an aquarial entertainment hall, but the stress of planning and the enormous financial drain proved too much for Cutting. The establishment was sold to P.T. Barnum [18] and James Cutting was committed to an insane asylum in Worcester. Cutting died in the asylum in August 1867 and was memorialized by an article in the Hartford Times and the New York Times entitled “Death of an Inventor in an Insane Asylum [19].”