The
following is a short list of other standard photographic processes/prints. These prints are rarer, often substantially
rarer, than albumen prints, gelatin-silver prints and c-prints. Several are considered high-end by photograph
collectors due to the high quality image quality and rarity.
The processes and prints are listed in
alphabetical order.
CARBON PRINT
Detail of 1867 Carbon Print by famed British photographer Julia
Margaret Cameron
Key: High quality antique process and print, often
mounted.
Duration: Invented in 1864, though
popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Modernized versions made today.
Population: Scarce.
Carbon prints are known for images superior to the contemporary albumen and
gelatin-silver prints. They come in a variety of colors, often having deep
browns like shown in the image on the left.
The image surfaces have a subtle relief effect seen when held at a near
180 degree angle and under the correct light. Parts of the surface are slightly
higher than other parts. If the carbon print is held at a certain angle to the
light, the shadows of the image should appear shinier than the highlights. If
there is cracking in the surface, large cracks appear in the dark areas only.
The prints are not susceptible to the severity of deterioration of albumens,
gelatin-silvers and salt prints, and will not have silvering. In the 1800s the
prints were often mounted, including as cabinet cards and cartes
de visite. Sometimes the mount will have text saying
it is a carbon print.
Under the
microscope the fibers of the paper are visible in the image. Tiny flecks of dark
pigment are often visible. The image should appear to lie on the surface of the
paper, instead of being imbedded in it.
The carbon print’s
image is difficult to distinguish from the photomechanical print Woodburytype (see
chapter 28). The Woodbury-type was only
made in the late 1800s, and, luckily, often has ‘Woodbury-type’ printed below
the image. The Woodbury-Gravure is a closely related photomechanical print also
from the 1800s, and will often have the name printed beneath the print. Whether or not it is a carbon print,
Woodbury-type or Woodbury-gravure, you know the photo is antique.
The carbon print was invented in 1864 and
used until the 1930s. Along with the
platinum print, the carbon print is considered by collectors and historians to
be the pinnacle of early black and white color paper photography, with an image
of highest quality and lacking the typical aging problems of more common prints.
A few artists and
hobbyists make moderns version of the carbon print today. These will often have modern subjects and
will usually be sold as modern, often by the photographer. The paper can often be identified as modern
with a black light. The modern carbon
prints themselves are scarce and considered high quality.
Cibachrome
(also known as ILFACHROME)
Key: Modern high quality, ultra glossy
color photos
Duration: 1960s to today
Population: Scarce but can be found.
Cibachromes are known for their high quality images and are
often used by fine art photographers including for public exhibition. They are cheaper to make than the rarer dye
transfer. The colors have a depth that give them a magical, almost 3-dimensional
quality. The colors are bold, some
photographers think too bold.
Cibachromes were introduced in 1963 and are still used
today. They are on resin-coated paper (plasticy feel both back and front). Though there is matte-style cibachrome, the cibachrome images
usually have ultra-glossy, liquid-likes surfaces unlike any other photograph. If there is a border, it is often jet black. Avoid touching the image, as fingerprints show
up easily. As with the
dye transfers, the images are resistant to fading. This makes them suited for display. The high quality image and super glossy image
makes the cibachrome easy to identify.
Due to their
relative scarcity, high quality images and durability, cibachromes
are desirable and can add to the value of a modern photograph.
The common c-print
photo is sometimes mistaken for a cibachrome. However, the c-print usually has photo
branding printed on the back (ala “Kodak Paper,” “Fujicolor
Paper”), while cibachromes have no such
printing. If there is a border, the cibachrome’s border is often black while the c-print’s is
usually white. Note that there are cibachromes with white borders. Most cibachromes
are much, much glossier than the average c-print.
The glossy black border
on a recently made cibachrome. Unlike
many c-prints, this photo has no manufacturer’s branding printed on back.
CYANOTYPE
Keys: Old photo with a blue image on
matte paper.
Duration: Invented in 1840, though
popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Examples made today.
Population: Not common, but examples
are found regularly.
There is no mistaking the cyanotype or ‘blueprint’ processes, due to the
brilliant blue image color. Architectural blueprints are cyanotypes. The images are on matte paper, back and
front. Under the microscope, the paper fibers
can be seen in the image area. The
images usually do not fade or age as with the more popular gelatin-silver and
albumen prints. Vintage cyanotypes come
in a variety of styles, including real photo postcards and cabinet cards. Though rarer than gelatin-silver prints, many
collectors do not place a premium on the process as the find they blue unappealing.
In recent years
there has been a revival of the process amongst artists and hobbyists. These modern versions are usually sold as
modern, fluoresce brightly under black light (see chapter 25) and can have
modern image subjects.
Dye
Transfer and cabro prints
Key: Highest quality modern color
photograph on matte paper.
Duration: 1940s to today
Population: Scarce.
Many
consider the modern dye transfer to be the highest form of color photograph. The images of unparalleled quality and depth
and do not fade. Photographs you will find in Sotheby’s and Christies auctions and
in museums are dry transfers. This
includes Bert Stern’s famous portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Harold Edgerton’s
super high speed photos. Introduced in
1945, dye-transfers are only made by a handful of people today. The process takes great skill, is time
consuming and expensive. You will not find a dye transfer by a famous
photographer for or subject for $2 on eBay.
The photos are
fiber based (matte surface instead of glossy) both on front and back, which is
unlike the other color photos. Chomogenic photos are usually glossy on one or both sides,
while Cibachrome and Polaroids
are glossy on both sides. The super high
quality images, matte back and front and high price make dye transfers easy to
identify. Their resistance to fading
makes them great for displaying at home or in public.
Giclees can sometimes resemble dye-transfers as giclees can be on matte paper. However, the giclees
are quickly identified due to the fine dot pattern in the image.
Quality dye
transfers of famous athletes and by famous photographers are rare and highly desirable.
The dye-transfer
is a close relation to the earlier cabro print,
which also offers quality and long lasting true color images.
1930s cabro print of actress Elsa Lanchester. Color prints from the 1930s are rare.
GUM BICHROMATE /
BROMOIL / OIL PRINTS
Gum bichromate
with charcoal/painted-like quality
Key: Artistic, charcoal sketch or
painting-like images
Popular use 1900-40s
Population: Vintage examples are rare. Modern versions less rare.
The
gum bichromate, bromoil and
oil pigment prints are closely related with a distinct artistic look. These processes gave the photographer unique
control over the image. Due to artistic manipulation, these prints do not have
the detail of most photographs and often resemble charcoal drawings or watercolors
sketches. Brush strokes can sometimes be seen on the surface. They can come in various colora, and the image lacks the aging problems of many
other processes.
Early gum bichromate
prints are rare, highly desirable and usually expensive. The process was
replaced by the bromoil process. The earliest
examples, 1800s to turn of the century, are bichromate
prints. Examples after the 1930s are
most likely bromoil or other oil pigment prints. A few modern hobbyists and artists make
modernized versions of these prints. At
sale, these modern versions are usually clearly advertised as modern and can
fluoresce brightly under a black light.
PLATINUM PRINTS, PLATINOTYPES, PALLADIUM PRINTS
Key: High quality black and white
photograph on matte paper
Duration: 1880 to 1930s, Popular Use:
1900-1910s. Revived in
recent years.
Population: Scarce but not
impossible to find.
The
platinum print, also known as platinotype, is a
premium process that produces high quality images. They are usually used in fine art photography
and not for things like snapshots or press photos. The images are a soft grey/black/white,
sometimes with a bluish tinge. A few examples have browns. The blacks are usually pitch black and the greys silvery. The
whites can be snow whites. The images do
not fade as the more common albumen and gelatin-silver prints. The paper is matte/fiber-based back and
front. Under the microscope, the paper
fibers can be seen in the image. A
transfer image may rub off on any paper that has been in contact with the image
over time.
After decades of
hibernation, a new version of the platinum print was invented in recent years
and used in the fine arts. The modern
paper will often fluoresce brightly under a black light (see chapter 25). Most modern platinum prints are clearly
represented as modern and often have clearly modern subjects.
Palladiam is a
closely related print, and is often lumped together with platinum prints. Palladiums resemble platinum prints but are a
bit more susceptible to aging deterioration.
For the collector, there’s rarely a pressing need to differentiate from
palladium and platinum prints.
Gelatin silver prints
are sometimes mistaken for platinum prints, as they can have similar black and
white tones. Gelatin silver prints
typically, though not always, have glossy images, while platinums
are matte. The paper fibers cannot be
seen in the image gelatin silver print, while they can be seen in the platinum
print. Gelatin silver prints are much
more plentiful and, when in doubt, it’s safe to guess it’s
gelatin silver.
Salt prints and
platinum prints are also sometimes confused, as they can have similar image tones
and microscopic paper fibers can be seen in both images. However, the salt prints are from an earlier
time with earlier subjects, and usually have significant wear and image
deterioration.
The commonly found
giclee prints (see chapter 28) are sometimes mistaken
for platinum prints, as the giclee can mimic the
platinum tones and can be on matte paper.
As a digital/computer print, giclee is quickly
identified due to the fine dot pattern in the image.
PolaroidS
Key: Usually small instant developing
photographs that look physically distinct to other photos.
Duration: 1963 to today
Population: Common
Polaroids are those instant self developing photographs,
and usually have an appearance distinct from the other photos. Though there
were other brands of instant self-developing photos, the brand name Polaroid
has always constituted most of the market.
Polaroid was bought out by
Polaroids were introduced in 1963 and are still used
today. Polaroids
have been used in daily life (family picnics), professionally use (dentists,
police work, test photos for magazine shoots) and in the fine arts. They are usually small, but can be
large. At their best Polaroids
have beautiful colors and sharp images. Polaroids can also be black and white.
The photos are
thick and resin-coated, with a plasticy feel on
back. Polaroids
have a distinct white border, many with a wider bottom edge. The photo image will have a different gloss
than the surrounding white border. The
image will have a gloss, while the border will be closer to matte.
To a large degree Polaroids are self authenticating. This is due to their one-of-one, on the spot
development. Though there are methods to
make Polaroid copies, most Polaroids are vintage,
original and unique.
The Polaroid transfer and emulsion transfer are experimental,
fine art manipulations of the Polaroid that produce distorted, artistic
images. Each of these is usually
original and unique.
SALTED
PAPER PRINTS
Key: The first type of paper photograph
Duration: 1841-1860. Revived in late 1890s and
late 1900s.
Population: Examples with sports images
are extremely rare.
Salted
paper prints, also known as salt prints, were made either with a paper negative
(called a Collotype negative) or a glass negative. The image printed from a
paper negative lacks detail and has a romantic, fuzzy quality. The grain of the
paper negative often appears in the image. Salt prints made from a glass
negative have a clearer image, without the grain of the paper negative. The earliest salt prints were made from a
paper negative. These prints are held in high esteem today as extremely rare
and historically significant. Even poor grade examples are expensive.
Salt prints
usually have matte surfaces and are on very thin paper, similar to albumen
paper. The images are brownish-red,
purple or brownish-yellow. The images usually show heavy signs of age. This includes fading, often around the edges
in a halo effect, foxing and soiling.
Salt prints sometimes have light hand coloring.
Under the
microscope, the fibers of the paper are visible. Unlike the more common albumen
print in which the image seems to float on the paper surface, the salt print
image is imbedded in the fibers.
Salt prints are
sometimes mistaken for platinum prints, in part as both have matte
surfaces. The platinum prints, however,
have superior image detail and lack of image fading and other deterioration.
Also, the platinum print was used much later, which means the photographic
subjects and fashion are from a later era.
The plentiful
albumen print is sometimes mistaken for the salt print as they both existed in
the 1800s. The image surface of the
albumen is usually, though not always, glossy which distinguishes itself from
the common matte surfaces of the salt prints.
Though uncommon, there are matte albumen prints that are hard to
distinguish from salt prints. The
albumen prints mostly come from a later era and can be identified by the modern
dress of the subjects in the image and style of mounts.
Salt prints from glass negatives were also made for a period in the late 1800s and modernized versions are made today. Today’s versions lack the aging problems, have clearer images and are usually clearly represented as modern. The modern paper is often thicker than from the 1800s and will often be identified as modern with a black light (chapter 25).
Cycleback.com:
Judging the Authenticity of Photographs
© david rudd
cycleback, cycleback.com