This is an interesting article from the UK press:

Photographer focuses on the enduring legacy of Brunel (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/04/03/nbrun03.xml)

Sounds like it was a fun project. Has anyone seen the exhibition?

If I recall, the photographer made a number of postings on APUG asking for advice. He was originally trying to go for an all-contemporary setup (i.e. all 1855), the general advice was that it would be exceedingly difficult to find an authentic wetplate camera in working condition. He seems in fact to have gone for a later-period 10x12" and used film instead of the wet-plate process but with a correct-period lens for the right look.

PS: This was the thread:
http://www.apug.org/forums/showthread.php?t=19286&highlight=David+White

The article states that the photographer was killed as a result of the wetplate process. What did he do? Blow himself up? Take a swig of cyanide instead of ethanol? Anyone know?

Joe

Was he using a process that involved mercury vapors? I know that has caused a few deaths.

Cyanide. He probably was over exposed to cyanide; I think it was the accelerant for the process.

Collodion Forum (http://www.collodion.com/index.htm)

my guess would be Gun Cotton (blew himself up)

I've read that lots of wet plate users blew themselves up when a spark (static electricity or something) ignited the collodion...

I seem to remember reading somewhere that Robert Howlett died from the effects of mercury vapour.