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
The color of a flower is by no means always, or usually, that which its
expressed juice imparts to white paper. Sir John Herschel attributes
these changes to the escape of carbonic acid in some cases; to a
chemical alteration, depending upon the absorption of oxygen, in
others; and again in others, especially where the expressed juice
coagulates on standing, to a loss of vitality, or disorganization of
the molecules. To secure an eveness of tint on paper, the following
manipulation is recommended:--The paper should be moistened on the back
by sponging and blotting off. It should then be pinned on a board, the
moist side downwards, so that two of its edges (suppose the right-hand
and lower ones) shall project a little beyond those of the board. The
board then being inclined twenty or thirty degrees to the horizon, the
alcoholic tincture (mixed with a very little water, if the petals
themselves be not very juicy) is to be applied with a brush in strokes
from left to right, taking care not to go over the edges which rest on
the board; but to pass clearly over those that project; and observing
also to carry the tint from below upwards by quick sweeping strokes,
leaving no dry spaces between them, but keeping up a continuity of wet
spaces. When all is wet, cross them by another set of strokes from
above downwards, so managing the brush as to leave no floating liquid
on the paper. It must then be dried as quickly as possible over a
stove, or in a warm current of air, avoiding, however, such heat as may
injure the tint.
In addition to the flowers already mentioned in my third chapter, the
following are among those experimented upon and found to give tolerable
good photographic sensitives. I can only enumerate them, referring the
student, for any further information he may desire on the subject, to
Mr. Hunt's work; although what I have said above is sufficient for all
practical purposes; and any one, with the ambition, can readily
experiment upon them, without further research, on any other flower he
may choose.
Viola Odorata--or sweet sented violet, yields to alcohol a rich blue
color, which it imparts in high perfection to paper
Senecio Splendens--or double purple groundsel, yields a beautiful color
to paper.
The leaves of the laurel, common cabbage, and the grasses, are found
sufficiently sensitive.
Common Merrigold yields an invaluable faecula, which appears identical
with that produced by the Wall-flower, and Cochorus japonica mentioned
before, and is very sensitive, but photographs procured upon it cannot
be preserved, the color is so fugitive.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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