Fratelli Alanari - celloidine prints
I was doing my usual, very frequent, perambulations through a secondhand bookshop a few days ago and picked up what could be either a prospectus, a potted history, or catalogue for Fratelli Alinari. It claims to be the oldest firm in the world in the field of image-making, and is one of the few photographic museums in existence. What is really interesting is that a significant percentage of its holdings (~1.5m images) are of an alternative form of printmaking (as this list defines it). Most of the images are Italian in origin (they do have a complete original set of Camerawork), and include a couple of a print type of which I have never come across before: celloidine prints. Christopher James mentions the development of a celluloid backing for film (by Eastman in 1884-5); the two prints in the book are dated 1900 and 1904. Would 'celloidine' be an early technical descriptor for the Eastman celluloid development? or something different? Has any listmember visited Fratelli Alinari? and if so, what did they think of it? Just interested. Peter Mcdonald Canberra, Australia.
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