JAIC 1999, Volume 38, Number 2, Article 2 (pp. 124 to 143)

DIFFERENCES IN IMAGE TONALITY PRODUCED BY DIFFERENT TONING PROTOCOLS FOR MATTE COLLODION PHOTOGRAPHS

SYLVIE PENICHON

ABSTRACT—Matte collodion photographs were the dominant medium used by commercial portrait photographers at the turn of the century. These prints usually display a black neutral tone and have a matte surface and an excellent stability. For this reason, they have often been mistakenly identified as platinum prints. The tonality of matte collodion prints can also vary from purple to brown. This article will examine the possible factors responsible for these differences in tone. A brief history of printing processes will be given, followed by a description of the matte collodion process and the different toning protocols described in photographic treatises and journals of the period. Results of elemental analysis will also be discussed.
[Spanish Abstract] [French Abstract]

Article Sections:

1. INTRODUCTION
2. BRIEF HISTORY OF PRINTING PROCESSES
3. COLLODIO-CHLORIDE PAPERS
4. STRUCTURE OF PRINTING-OUT PAPERS
5. PREPARATION OF THE EMULSION
6. COATING OF THE PAPER
7. PROCESSING, MOUNTING, AND FINISHING
8. PROS AND CONS OF COLLODION PAPER
9. THE COLOR OF SILVER CHLORIDE PRINTS
10. ENERGY DISPERSIVE X-RAY SPECTROMETRY (EDS) ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS
11. CONCLUSIONS
a: Notes , References , Author Information

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