But your humble narrator will comment anyway. ![]() For more detail on photographic printing see Silverprint’s wonderful historic review.Ĥ. Universität Basel, 2002, which is availableĢ. “Silver Mirroring on Silver Gelatin Glass Negatives.” Diss. For more than you probably care to know see: It is a common occurrence with both glass plate negatives and paper prints between 1900-1930. Silver mirroring is a process by which Ag 2S (silver sulfide) is formed on the print surface by the migration of Ag + ions from the emulsion,Ĭreating a characteristic metallic-blue sheen. Even today, with the widespread availability of inkjet printers, the process is still used for B&W prints.ġ. In the 1970s and variable-contrast (VC) paper in the 1980s. Over the last 120 or so years the silver gelatin print has undergone continuous tweaks and improvements, including polyethylene resin-coated (RC) paper Here are some beauties from the jazz age:Ĭoncerning the sister on the right - really? Further commentary seem rather pointless 4įinally, there’s this beautiful young lady, ca.1967: 3 Here are a few early 20th century ads showing the range of papers available:īy the early 1900s, with the rise of the snapshot, professional studios replaced the CDV and cabinet card with silver gelatin prints often elaborately mounted in embossed cardboard Silver gelatin print began truly replacing the albumin print. However, it wasn’t until a baryta layer (a coating of gelatin and barium sulfate that provided a white, smooth surface) was added in 1894 that Of improvements: gelatin silver chloride paper (1881), Silver chloride printing-out paper (1882), gelatin chloro-bromide paper (1883) and gaslight paper (1885). Gelatin silver bromide print paper was being commercially manufactured as early as 1874. ![]() The silver gelatin print, however, would take quite a bit longer to gain acceptance. Maddox first described the silver gelatin process in 1871 theĭry-plate replaced the wet-plate almost overnight – an instant revolution in photography. Here is a detail:Īfter the good doctor R. Wedding photos your humble narrator has ever seen. The womens’ cloche hats, the mens’ Jack Torrance 2 hair styles and the earnestness of the bride and groom make it one of the most beautiful They should be seen as the marks of the artist.This poorly unmounted, badly mirrored 1 sepia-toned silver gelatin print is rather obviously ca.mid-1920s. My goal is to make prints as smooth as possible, but occasionally brush strokes will be noticed in some of the prints. Some practitioners of these historic processes leave brush strokes plainly visible. I like to think of them as “monotype” prints from the same negative. The proportions of platinum to palladium in the emulsion, choice of developers and the temperature of the developer control the final color.Īs these emulsions are mixed and coated by hand no two prints are exactly alike. These prints can range from a cool, slightly purple black to split tones of brown and warm black, to a very warm brown. The image tone of a platinum/palladium print can vary widely in color. Exposure to the light source takes a few minutes to an hour or more, depending on the density and contrast of the negative. Once dry, a negative is placed in direct contact with the paper, and then exposed to “actinic” or ultraviolet light. These sensitizers are mixed just prior to use, coated on the paper with a brush or glass rod. My platinum prints are made from hand-mixed and hand-coated emulsions. This contributes to the deeper, richer feeling you experience when looking at these prints. In reality there are actually more steps between pure black and pure white in platinum prints than in a silver gelatin print. To the eye accustomed to the punch of a silver gelatin print, a platinum print will often feel “softer” or lower in contrast. A platinum print also has a more gradual tonal change from black to white. All platinum prints have a matte, not glossy surface, because the sensitizer is absorbed into the paper rather than sitting on the surface. Platinum prints have a different “look” from silver gelatin or digital prints. Therefore, the size of the photographic print is equal to the size of the negative. ![]() The platinum salt emulsion is embedded into the fiber of the paper during the printing process.Īs with most historical photographic processes, a platinum print is made by placing the negative and emulsion-coated paper in direct contact. Platinum and palladium are noble metals on the Periodic Table and are resistant to oxidation. Made from the salts of platinum and palladium, these prints are also called “platinotypes” or “platinum” prints. For people who collect photographs, platinum/palladium prints are renowned for their beauty, archival stability, and unique, one-of-a-kind print statement.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |