Anthony Herman Gerard Fokker (1890 - 1939) was a Dutch aircraft designer known for producing some of the fastest and most stable aircraft in the world. Many of Germany’s World War I aces flew in his aircraft. He remained a prolific designer in the postwar years in Europe and the United States. Fokker was inducted into the International Aerospace Hall of Fame in 1970.
These two glass negatives depicting Fokker were donated to SDASM from the Ohio History Connection (formerly the Ohio Historical Society) in 2021. Negatives on glass were popular with photographers at the turn of the 20th century. Silver gelatin-coated dry plate negatives were produced by adhering a light sensitive silver halide and gelatin chemical compound to glass with chrome alum. The compound was usable when dry, unlike previous wet plate negatives, making the medium portable, durable, and popular.
This portrait is unique in our collection because of its large format, measuring approximately 8” x 10”. Many of the glass negatives in our Archive are smaller than 4” x 6”. The size of portrait reveals the depth and clarity achieved with this type of photographic process.
Dry plate glass negatives are not without their drawbacks. By their nature they easily chip, crack, or break. Minor chips on the edges, surface abrasions, and flaking of the emulsion is evident on these. All types of photographic negatives are susceptible to accumulating grime, fingerprints, and dust. This format is no exception and evidence of this is visible on these two glass negatives.
More examples of negatives on glass in the Museum’s collection can be seen on our Flickr page by searching “glass negative” or “glass plate negative”.