He would have been using a wet collodion negative, which is very complicated.
From the sfgate.com
He predominantly produced albumen silver prints from wet collodion glass-plate negatives.
From the en.wikipedia.org
Examples include imitation ivory, tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl, plus collodion lacquers.
From the newscientist.com
His formulation was composed of 10% camphor and equal parts of nitroglycerine and collodion.
From the en.wikipedia.org
After experimenting with various types of propellant the United States adopted a pyro-collodion.
From the en.wikipedia.org
A collodion bag is a membrane used to filter or concentrate substances, often proteins, using pressure.
From the en.wikipedia.org
Collodion emulsion chloride paper was used from 1865 and in 1880 gelatin emulsion paper was introduced.
From the en.wikipedia.org
The wet collodion process was replaced by dry plates.
From the en.wikipedia.org
There will be a a free, hands-on demonstration and an evening talk by wet plate collodion expert John Brewer.
From the telegraph.co.uk
More examples
A colorless syrupy solution of pyroxylin in ether and alcohol; used as a coating for wounds or photographic films
Collodion is a flammable, syrupy solution of pyroxylin in ether and alcohol. There are two basic types; flexible and non-flexible. The flexible type is often used as a surgical dressing or to hold dressings in place. When painted on the skin, collodion dries to form a flexible cellulose film. ...
Soluble gun-cotton, dissolved in a mixture of ether and alcohol.
Collodion is a solution of nitrocellulose in acetone or ether that was used as an alternative to albumen to coat glass photographic plates. Commonly used in the production of ambrotypes and tintypes in the 19th century.
Collodion is a base used for photo emulsions invented by J.B. Obernetter in Germany in 1867. It is made from nitrocellulose suspended in ether or alcohol, rendering it highly flammable and dangerous to use. ...
A syrupy liquid used to attach EEG electrodes to the scalp for long-term monitoring.
A transparent syrupy solution of pyroxylin (a nitrocelluose) dissolved in ether and alcohol. The collodion process was used as the basis for photographic emulsions in the wet-plate process starting in 1851. It was popular until the development of the gelatin dry-plate some 30 years later. ...
A solution of gun-cotton in ether. It was a substance used in photographic processes.
A cellulose treatment applied to certain 1850-60-period combustible cartridges to help render them moisture-resistant (see Bartholow's and Hazard's Patents)