<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photographic plate</span>

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Photographic plate

<p><b>Photographic plates</b> preceded <a href="/en/Photographic_film" title="Photographic film" class="wl">photographic film</a> as a capture medium in photography, and were still used in some communities up until the late 20th century. The light-sensitive <a href="/en/Emulsion" title="Emulsion" class="wl">emulsion</a> of <a href="/en/Silver_halide" title="Silver halide" class="wl">silver salts</a> was coated on a <b>glass plate</b>, typically thinner than common window glass.</p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Target medium in photography</div>
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<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:AGFA_glas.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:AGFA_glas.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/AGFA_glas.jpg/220px-AGFA_glas.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="652" data-file-height="463" data-file-type="bitmap" height="156" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/AGFA_glas.jpg/330px-AGFA_glas.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/AGFA_glas.jpg/440px-AGFA_glas.jpg 2x" alt="AGFA_glas.jpg"></a><figcaption><a href="/en/AGFA" title="AGFA" class="mw-redirect wl">AGFA</a> photographic plates, 1880</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Mimosa_Panchroma-Studio-Antihalo_Panchromatic_glass_plates,_9_x_12cm,_Mimosa_A.-G._Dresden,_Germany.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Mimosa_Panchroma-Studio-Antihalo_Panchromatic_glass_plates,_9_x_12cm,_Mimosa_A.-G._Dresden,_Germany.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Mimosa_Panchroma-Studio-Antihalo_Panchromatic_glass_plates%2C_9_x_12cm%2C_Mimosa_A.-G._Dresden%2C_Germany.jpg/220px-Mimosa_Panchroma-Studio-Antihalo_Panchromatic_glass_plates%2C_9_x_12cm%2C_Mimosa_A.-G._Dresden%2C_Germany.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="5391" data-file-height="3744" data-file-type="bitmap" height="153" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Mimosa_Panchroma-Studio-Antihalo_Panchromatic_glass_plates%2C_9_x_12cm%2C_Mimosa_A.-G._Dresden%2C_Germany.jpg/330px-Mimosa_Panchroma-Studio-Antihalo_Panchromatic_glass_plates%2C_9_x_12cm%2C_Mimosa_A.-G._Dresden%2C_Germany.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Mimosa_Panchroma-Studio-Antihalo_Panchromatic_glass_plates%2C_9_x_12cm%2C_Mimosa_A.-G._Dresden%2C_Germany.jpg/440px-Mimosa_Panchroma-Studio-Antihalo_Panchromatic_glass_plates%2C_9_x_12cm%2C_Mimosa_A.-G._Dresden%2C_Germany.jpg 2x" alt="Mimosa_Panchroma-Studio-Antihalo_Panchromatic_glass_plates%2C_9_x_12cm%2C_Mimosa_A.-G._Dresden%2C_Germany.jpg"></a><figcaption>Mimosa Panchroma-Studio-Antihalo Panchromatic glass plates, 9 x 12cm, Mimosa A.-G. Dresden</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Femme-au-chien_neg.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Femme-au-chien_neg.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Femme-au-chien_neg.jpg/220px-Femme-au-chien_neg.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="4500" data-file-height="3303" data-file-type="bitmap" height="161" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Femme-au-chien_neg.jpg/330px-Femme-au-chien_neg.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Femme-au-chien_neg.jpg/440px-Femme-au-chien_neg.jpg 2x" alt="Femme-au-chien_neg.jpg"></a><figcaption>Negative plate</figcaption></figure>


Photographic plates preceded photographic film as a capture medium in photography, and were still used in some communities up until the late 20th century. The light-sensitive emulsion of silver salts was coated on a glass plate, typically thinner than common window glass. 