RE: Jose Ortiz-Echague and Fresson
There is a large collection of Echague's work at the print room (by appointment) of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York). My negative feelings about this man, as well as the entire secretiveness of the Fresson process, does not deny that those prints are of historic interest. Joachim -----Original Message----- From: Sandy King [mailto:sanking@clemson.edu] Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 12:36 AM To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca Subject: Re: Jose Ortiz-Echague and Fresson That could very well be the case. Ortiz-Echagüe certainly had the means to buy the process. My understanding is that the Fresson family did not sell him a machine, but provided him with the technical information to prepare and coat the emulsion and to build a machine. I am fairly certain that Ortiz-Echagüe wrote this in the introduction to one of his last books. In any event, the key to the process is not the machine, but the emulsion formula and how it is coated. I could think of several ways to coat carbon tissue, but the performance will ultimately be based more on the tissue formula than on the coating procedure. Sandy At 11:22 PM -0500 5/21/07, achakali@wideopenwest.com wrote: >Based upon accounts from Bill Foster, who actually knew and photographed with >Echague, the machine and formula was purchased from the Fresson family. >Additionally, the "carbondir" was apparently a part of the agreement to not >use the Fresson name for the paper Echague produced. > >Art > > >On Tue, 22 May 2007 00:09:57 -0400, Sandy King wrote >> There is also he possibility that money exchanged hands. I don't >> know that for a fact, but Ortiz-Echague was definitely a person of means. >> >> Sandy King >> >> At 11:57 PM -0400 5/21/07, Sandy King wrote: >> >Chris. >> > >> >Several reasons I can suggest. >> > >> >There may also be personal connections of which I am not aware. But >> >here are some of the things that may have moved them. >> > >> >At the time Ortiz-Echague was one of the most famous photographers >> >in Europe, and had been using the Fresson paper for almost 50 years. >> >Perhaps they felt that they owed him the favor. >> > >> >And, he was one of the most powerful men in Spain and a person of >> >great accomplishments outside of photography. He was one of the >> >first pilots in the Spanish, rose to the rank of General in the >> >Army, and served as President of both SEAT (a company that produced >> >cars) and of another company that produced airplanes. >> > >> >Basically, I figure they came to the conclusion that their secrets >> >were safe with him, given his age at the time and his status in >> >Spanish society. >> > >> >Sandy >> > >> > >> > >> > At 9:41 PM -0600 5/21/07, Christina Z. Anderson wrote: >> >>When the Fresson family >> >>ceased commercial distribution of the paper they >> >>provided him with the technical knowledge to coat >> >>his own paper, and he constructed a coating >> >>machine and thereafter called his process >> >>"carbondir" (carbon directo) so as not to offend >> >>the Fressons. >> >> >> >>Sandy, >> >>Why would, do you think, the Fresson family share their secrets >> >>with him and yet not with anyone else since then? >> >> >> >>I notice they still do Sheila Metzner's work as well as Deborah >> >>Turbeville's... >> >>Chris > > >-- >WOW! Homepage (http://www.wowway.com)
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