Frederick Scott Archer's introduction
of the collodion process in 1851 quickly rendered obsolete the first photographic
processes, the calotype and daguerreotoype. Not without inconveniences, the
"wet plate," or collodion process, offered the first truly practical
means of obtaining permanent negatives on glass. One could even produce a
positive image, called an ambrotype, by coating the back of the negative with
black paint. The highly detailed, grainless image and the low cost of the
process outweighed the annoyances of coating the plate with sticky emulsion and
transporting a complete darkroom box. The collodion process continued to
dominate the photographic market until the mid-1880s when gelatin dry plates
were perfected.

Even though many landscape photographers willingly burdened themselves
with the cumbersome "wet plate" equipment, the process clearly
functioned most conveniently for the production of studio portraits like Murice Cundler. Photographed a few
years after the collodion process was introduced, this dignified sitter was
surrounded with studio props and greenery to effect a sitting room atmosphere.
Most likely, many clients sat among these same studio elements in Alexander's
Ipswich photographic studio, located in Suffolk County in eastern England. Alexander,
a prominent Quaker banker, is also known for his photographs of student
activities which he produced in an effort to raise funds for the Ipswich Ragged
School, which opened in 1849.