Re: Colored Dags? / Hill
Ray wrote: > Now, to see some of these images, either originals, or somebody's > recreation.... > Does anyone know who holds these? The Hill originals in the Smithsonian collection would be one source, although if Root was right, they are not "real" color dags. I do recall that Hill was a kind of photo "mystic" -- he propounded theories regarding the benefits of incorporating extracts of his natural subjects into his photo chemistry (here's hoping he didn't branch out into portraits!). Given that extracts from grass and tree leaves may be green, and extracts from yellow flowers may be yellow, etc., if he applied the respective extracts selectively to the portions of the images occupied by the objects the extracts were taken from, might it not color the objects in some version of their natural color? (He also apparently believed that exposure to dag chemistry would cure his respiratory ills. It of course turned out to do quite the opposite, and killed him.) I'm not sure anyone has persisting examples of modern interference-based daguerrotypes, because (as I recall) they turned out to be fugitive. Some accounts noted that fixing seemed to destroy the colors. If this is true, and it sounds plausible, you'd have to make your own and enjoy them fleetingly. You might try to contact Mr. Boudreau to see if he has any surviving examples. I believe the bibliographic reference provided by Gawain is correct -- in particular, with respect to the year of publication (1987, not 1997 as the reference I copied had it): Boudreau, J., Color Daguerreotypes: Hillotypes Recreated. In Ostroff, E., Society of Photographic Scientists and Engineers., et al. (1987). Pioneers of photography : their achievements in science and technology. Springfield, VA, SPSE -- The Society for Imaging Science and Technology (Distributed by Northeastern University Press). Perhaps Gawain could post a summary of Boudreau's article -- it would be a welcome addition to this discussion. Roger provided a link to the Smithsonian site that didn't work for me, but if you persist, Hill's working instructions are reproduced from the Treatise on the site. Start at: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/exhibits/helios/darkchamber.html Click the dag image to enter, then select the "Nineteenth-Century Texts" link. The eleventh item in the list under "Contents" is a link to Hill's working instructions. There are other links that discuss the process, as well. Best regards, etienne
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