The Evolution of Photography: With a Chronological Record of Discoveries, Inventions, Etc., Contributions to Photographic Literature, and Personal Reminescences Extending over Forty YearsWerge, John, active 1854-1890
History
The Evolution of Photography: With a Chronological Record of Discoveries, Inventions, Etc., Contributions to Photographic Literature, and Personal Reminescences Extending over Forty Years
Werge, John, active 1854-1890
Photography -- History
Pyrogallic acid as an intensifier is very little used by the American
operators, so little that it is not kept in stock by the dealers.
Requiring some once, I had quite a hunt for it, but found some at last,
stowed away as "Not Wanted," in Messrs. Anthony's store. The general
intensifier is what they laconically call "sulph.," which is sulphuret
of potassium in a very dilute solution, either flowed over the plate, or
the plate is immersed in a dipping bath, after fixing, which is by far
the _pleasantest_ way to employ the "sulph. solution." Throwing it about
as some of them do is anything but agreeable. In such cases, "sulph."
was the first thing that saluted my olfactories on putting my head
inside one of their "dark rooms."
Up to 1860 the American photographic prints were all on plain paper, and
obtained by the ammonia nitrate of silver bath, and toned and fixed with
the hyposulphite of soda and gold. The introduction of the
cartes-de-visite forced the operators to make use of albumenized paper;
but even then they seemed determined to adhere to the ammonia process if
possible, for they commenced all sorts of experiments with that volatile
accelerator, both wet and dry, some by adding ammonia and ether to an
80-grain silver bath, others by fuming, and toning with an acetate and
gold bath, and fixing with hypo afterwards.
With the following "musings" on "wrappers" (not "spirit wrappers," nor
railway wrappers, but "carte-de-visite wrappers"), I shall conclude my
rambles among the galleries of New York. Wrappers generally afford an
excellent opportunity for ornamental display. Many of the wrappers of
our magazines are elegantly and artistically ornamented. Nearly every
pack of playing cards is done up in a beautiful wrapper. The French have
given their attention to the subject of "carte-de-visite wrappers," and
turned out a few unique patterns, which, however, never came much into
use in this country. The Americans, more alive to fanciful and tasteful
objects of ornamentation, and close imitators of the French in these
matters, have made more use of carte-de-visite wrappers than we have.
Many wrappers of an artistic and literary character are used by the
photographers in America--some with ornamental designs; some with the
address of the houses tastefully executed; others with poetical
effusions, in which the cartes-de-visite are neatly wrapped up, and
handed over to the sitter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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