What does calotype mean?
The calotype process was a significant innovation in the history of photography, allowing photographers to create multiple prints from a single negative. Introduced in the 1840s, the process used a paper coated with silver chloride to produce a negative image. This image could then be used to create multiple positive prints. The calotype process was an important step in the development of photography, paving the way for later innovations such as the daguerreotype and the tintype. Today, the term calotype is often used to describe the early photographic process, but it can also refer to the resulting photograph. The calotype process remains an important part of the history of photography, and its legacy can still be seen in the work of photographers today. The calotype process was a significant innovation in the history of photography, and its impact can still be felt today.
nounA photographic process introduced in the 1840s that used a paper coated with silver chloride to produce a negative image.
- A photographic process introduced in the 1840s that used a paper coated with silver chloride to produce a negative image.
"The calotype process allowed photographers to create multiple prints from a single negative."
"The calotype process allowed photographers to create multiple prints from a single negative."
"The calotype process was an important innovation in the history of photography."
The plural form calotypes is used to describe multiple photographs created using the calotype process.
"The photographer created several calotypes during her career."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of calotype
The term calotype was coined by William Henry Fox Talbot, the inventor of the process. Talbot derived the term from the Greek words 'kalos' meaning 'beauty' and 'typos' meaning 'impression'. The calotype process was developed in the 1840s, and it quickly became an important innovation in the history of photography.
How calotype is actually used
The term calotype is often used to describe the early photographic process, but it can also refer to the resulting photograph.