[pure-silver] Can you identify the technique?
- From: Philippe Gauthier <pgauth@xxxxxxx>
- To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 22 May 2005 12:25:17 -0400
Hello
This is my first contribution to this list and I hope that I'm on topic.
The lovely lady in the attached picture (can you actually attach pictures
here? If not I'll send a link) is my great grandmother, who died in 1898
aged 30. She looks much younger on this picture, which therefore probably
dates back to the late 1880's or early 1890's. The print looks slightly
cropped (less than half an inch on each side) from a 4x5 plate. The focus
is soft, yet some beautiful details show up, especially in the eyes, which
the scan cannot reproduce. The actual print is also less greenish than the
scan. The contrast is also very hard to convey effectively, but is rather low.
OK, now the question is: how was this print made? Here are some hints for
you experts.
1. The surface is absolutely matte. Some minor scratches reveal some gloss,
however. The paper is rather thin, but extremely dense and rigid.
2. This is no way the scan can show this, but there are some thin crack in
the emulsion. This could suggest, I read, an albumen print, but these
prints usually had a lot more contrast, I understand.
3. There is some subtle yellowing in the upper left corner of the print.
4. There seems to be undiluted lumps of something in the emulsion - check
the spots near the nose and behind the head.
5. Even though it doesn't show in the scan, there are some tiny pinholes
(bubbles?) in the emulsion in somes places. It could suggest that the thing
was hand mixed and hand applied on paper, but you see absolutely no other
evidence for this (brush streaks ot whatever).
6. My great grandmother was actually from a family of poor Québécois
migrants in New England (Franco Americans) and it is unlikely that fancy
and expensive techniques (platinum paper...) were used to make this print.
Overall, it's a beautiful, soft and delicate portrait that is extremely
well preserved. As I use some alternative techniques (mostly cyanotype and
Vandyke, but also gumprints) and use some era equipement, your answers are
of great interest to me.
Philippe Gauthier
Montréal, QC
-- Binary/unsupported file stripped by Ecartis --
-- Type: image/jpeg
-- File: Marie_prevost_4x5.jpg
=============================================================================================================
To unsubscribe from this list, go to www.freelists.org and logon to your
account (the same e-mail address and password you set-up when you subscribed,)
and unsubscribe from there.
Other related posts:
