We stumbled on an instruction guide while searching through the chest. It contains directions to the Wet-Plate process, a type of photography used during Civil War times.
Step 1) A glass plate is coated with collodion( a flammable, syrupy solution), to make it sensitive to light
Step 2) The plate is put into the camera in a dark room while in a light-tight case
Step 3) The camera lens is exposed to light for a few seconds, creating an image on the plate
Step 4) The plate is developed in chemicals and washed and dried with water
Step 5) The plate is coated with varnish and can now be printed on paper
Step 2) The plate is put into the camera in a dark room while in a light-tight case
Step 3) The camera lens is exposed to light for a few seconds, creating an image on the plate
Step 4) The plate is developed in chemicals and washed and dried with water
Step 5) The plate is coated with varnish and can now be printed on paper