The History and Practice of the Art of PhotographySnelling, Henry Hunt
History
The History and Practice of the Art of Photography
Snelling, Henry Hunt
Daguerreotype; Photography
When exposed to the sunshine for a time, varying with the intensity of
the light, from five to fifteen or twenty minutes, the result is
generally a negative picture. It is now to be washed over with a
solution of nitrate of silver, which immediately produces a very
beautiful deep orange picture upon a light dim colored, or sometimes
perfectly white ground. This picture must be quickly fixed, by being
washed in pure water, and dried. With regard to the strength of the
solutions, it is a remarkable fact, that, if saturated solutions be
employed, a negative picture is first produced, but if the solutions be
three or four times their bulk of water, the first action of the sun's
rays darkens the picture, and then a very bleaching effect follows,
giving an exceedingly faint positive picture, which is brought out with
great delicacy by the silver solution.
It is necessary that pure water should be used for the fixing, as the
presence of any muriate damages the picture, and here arises another
pleasing variation of the Chromatype. If the positive picture be
placed in a very weak solution of common salt the image slowly fades
out, leaving a faint negative outline. If it now be removed from the
saline solution, dried, and again exposed to sunshine, a positive
picture of a lilac color will be produced by a few minutes exposure.
Several other of the chromates may be used in this process, but none is
so successful as the chromate of copper.
IV. ANTHOTYPE.
The expressed juice, alcoholic, or watery infusion of flowers, or
vegetable substances, may be made the media of photogenic action. This
fact was first discovered by Sir John Herschel. We have already given
a few examples of this in the third chapter.
Certain precautions are necessary in extracting the coloring matter of
flowers. The petals of fresh flowers are carefully selected, and
crushed to a pulp in a marble mortar, either alone or with the addition
of a little alcohol, and the juice expressed by squeezing the pulp in a
clean linen or cotton cloth. It is then to be spread upon paper with a
flat brush, and dried in the air without artificial heat. If alcohol
be not added, the application on paper must be performed immediately,
as the air (even in a few minutes), irrecoverably changes or destroys
their color. If alcohol be present this change is much retarded, and
in some cases is entirely prevented.
Most flowers give out their coloring matter to alcohol or water. Some,
however, refuse to do so, and require the addition of alkalies, others
of acid, &c. Alcohol has, however, been found to enfeeble, and in many
cases to discharge altogether these colors; but they are, in most
cases, restored upon drying, when spread over paper. Papers tinged
with vegetable colors must always be kept in the dark, and perfectly
dry.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account