The ‘aqua-tinter’ employs common resin dissolved in spirits of wine. Etched or engraved lines are often used with aquatint to achieve greater definition of form.
An infinite number of tones can be achieved by exposing various parts of the plate to acid baths of different strengths for different periods of time. The acid bites away the plate only in the interstices between the resin or sugar grains, leaving an evenly pitted surface that yields broad areas of tone when the grains are removed and the plate is printed. The technique consists of exposing a copperplate to acid through a layer of granulated resin or sugar. The process is called aquatint because finished prints often resemble watercolor drawings or wash drawings. H 35 AquatintĪ variety of etching widely used by printmakers to achieve a broad range of tonal values. The resulting drawing looks as though it is in low relief or an engraving. Perfected by Achille Collas in the early 19 th century, Anaglyptography is a technique of making drawings and etchings whereby a tracing arm moves over a work in relief and mechanically reproduces the contours of the original object.
Ambrotypes quickly replaced daguerreotypes as the most popular photographic format in the 1850s, and by the 1860s, in turn, ambrotypes were replaced by the even less expensive tintype. Patented by James Ambrose Cutting in 1854, ambrotypes were relatively inexpensive to make, as compared to the daguerreotype process. AmbrotypeĪmbrotypes are collodion negative photographs on glass which look like positive images when backed with a dark color (or made on dark glass – called ruby glass ambrotypes). In the late nineteenth century, Amateur was a term used to elevate the status of a photographer from a commercial practitioner to that of an artist. AmateurĬoming from the Latin word for lover ( amator), someone who engages in the pursuit of something for the love of it rather than for money. As such, one can readily identify a degraded albumen print from the yellowing in the image highlights.
Due to the chemical composition, albumen photographs commonly degrade from light and oxygen. Albumen was most commonly used from the 1850s until the mid-1880s in the formats of cartes-de-visite, cabinet cards, stereographs, and photographs in albums. After exposure and printing-out, the resulting image can be characterized by a good reproduction of detail, great tonal density and contrast, and warm image tone. The process is based on the light sensitivity of silver chloride, which is suspended in an albumen binder, or egg-whites, on a paper support. Albumen ProcessĪ printing-out photographic process invented by Louis Désiré Blanquart-Évrard in 1850 as an improvement to the salted paper print. HCL 5-6 AlbumenĮgg whites, consisting of albumin proteins. The company produced and distributed Albertype prints in the form of postcards and viewbooks across the United States. The Albertype Company, opened in New York in 1888 and utilized the Albertype process for commercial purposes. Albert’s modifications to the collotype process allowed companies to cheaply produce about two thousand prints from each plate, as opposed to approximately one hundred prints allowed by earlier collotype variations. Albert presented the Albertype at the 1868 Photographic Exhibition in Hamburg. The Albertype is the invention of Joseph Albert, a photographer from Munich. AestheticismĪ late nineteenth-century European intellectual and artistic movement that focused on the pursuit of beauty, self expression and art strictly for the sake of beauty.
Joubert of Paris, the aciérage process is also know as steel facing. AciérageĪ method of strengthening a metal printing plate by voltaic electricity for the purpose of making it longer lasting, more durable, and cheaper to produce more prints. Corresponding page numbers below are noted HCL. David’s self-published book Checklist of Photomechanical Processes and Printing 1825 – 1910is an invaluable resource to those interested in the nuance of photomechanical history. Many thanks to David Hanson who has generously helped with these notations. Not sure where to start? Explore the Collection Highlights. For additional search options, try an advanced search.Overwhelmed? Put photogravure’s significance into context with this historical overview. Learn about the identifying characteristics of hand-pulled photogravures. Learn more about the famous and not-so-famous photographers and scientists that have played a significant role in the discovery and evolution of the art.Įxplore an interactive timeline of the history of photography and photomechanical printing.
The catalog contains thousands of images covering the full history of the process.īreakdown the complicated process of creating a photogravure. Not sure where to begin? Start by exploring a selection of the collection’s highlights.īrowse the collection or find something specific.