Exhibition "Negatius de vidre" (glass negatives)

Photographic technology has evolved steadily since its beginnings in 1826. The first negatives were produced on silver plates (daguerreotypes) or on paper supports (calotypes). In 1851, the first glass negative was created. These negatives were known as collodion plates or wet plates.

Glass negatives improved image quality and simplified the photographic process, as the required exposure time was reduced from 15 minutes to just a few seconds.

The Fundació TMB photographic archive includes an important collection of glass negatives produced between 1877 and 1940. The paper prints developed from these negatives at the time did not do them justice because the printing technology available then could not match the quality captured by the cameras of the early twentieth century.

With the guidance of the Agrupació Fotogràfica de Catalunya and the collaboration of photographer Manuel Daniel Rivera, the glass negative collection was digitized to preserve the images it contains.

The selection of photographs in this exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy high-quality images of both the public transport systems of the period and the details of the city that serves as their backdrop.

This is the second edition of the exhibition, which was first presented in March 2020.