Re: hippolyte bayard's process
I think it is documented in Joseph Maria Eders English translation of his History of Photography. This was reprinted in the 1970s-early 80s - I tried the process over 25 years ago and was able to create a reversal- but not in camera- only in a contact print of some small objects like a feather and paper clip. It did indeed work and appeared to be permanent. It is possilble that it is better documented in one of Eder's other books on photography which probably have not been translated from the German language. Success with reversing is probably very dependant on getting the sizing right and the density of the coating materials. I did get the paper to bleach out to white- but not at any speed that could be used in camera. Bayard's camera exposures were probably somewhere in the vicinity of sayƒ8-ƒ11 the optics of the day at possibly 30 min in full sun- and I also think the paper was put in the camera damp- so keeping the paper damp by clamping it to a damp sponge to keep it damp during exposure may be a secret of the process. Bayard I believe turned to Calotypes and later the wet Plate and was a major member of the ( French) Photographic Society- perhaps this is where there may kept some further mention of his process. Wish I remembered more- but think I only found one incomplete source for his method. Also- if you find a more complete method- it may be from possible later experiments when more was known and may contain other chemicals that would have speeded things up. Sincerely, Richard Vallon Jr. from New Orleans BTW- Hippolyte Bayard had a hat hanging over his famous self portrait as a drowned man- I remeber reading somewhere that he simply liked straw hats and imply placed them in his images as compositional elements.... ---- Zev Schmitz <zeesme@gmail.com> wrote: > Is bayards direct camera positive process documented? Does anyone know > of a source of the formula? > > Thanks, > -Zev
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