U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: giclee, silver gelatin/gelatin silver was 3 questions

Re: giclee, silver gelatin/gelatin silver was 3 questions



Richard & Judy,

I agree that giclee is a silly name for inkjet prints.  If you are going to make inkjet prints, call them that and accept them as a legitimate medium.  I have had both gallery owners and others insist that their "giclee" prints were NOT inkjet prints, but some other obscure medium—giving no explanation as to how they were actually made.  Ignorance is bliss or giclee I guess.

Regarding "silver-gelatin",  I see the terms "gelatin silver" and "silver gelatin" used—is there a correct usage?  Somehow Silver Gelatin seems to sound better to me.


On Nov 19, 2008, at 10:54:16 PM, "Judy Seigel" <jseigel@panix.com> wrote:
From:"Judy Seigel" <jseigel@panix.com>
Subject:Re: 3 questions (one of them dumb)
Date:November 19, 2008 10:54:16 PM CST
To:alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca
Cc:alt-photo-process-error@sask.usask.ca

On Tue, 18 Nov 2008, Richard Knoppow wrote:

> A print using a material operating on a similar principle is a chromogenic 
> print while dye transfer, three color carbon or carbro, three color gum or 
> oil, are not chromogenic. I think this term is like "silver-gelatin" perhaps 
> meant to clarify the exact process used to make a print but possibly 
> confusing to naive buyers. Not quite as bad as Giclee, which is IMO a 
> deliberate attempt at confusion. BTW, since Giclee really means an inkjet 
> print its probably incorrect to use it for laser prints or color Xerox.

It's my understanding that the term "Giclee" (however it's spelled) is a 
derivation from French slang for an ejaculation, referring to the "jet" of 
the early printers. Whether it was meant to be "rude" or poetic, or 
abstract and evocative, simply euphemistic, or all of the above, it did 
begin as a term for inkjet, but... many expressions broaden. In fact 
grammar does too... Common usage changes meanings all the time (as is 
probably clear by derivations on every page of the dictionary).

However, "glicee" was (also if not primarily) used to obscure the fact 
that the work was a regular inkjet print, in the way that English speakers 
-- or anyway Americans -- often use a French word to, um, put on the 
chien.

But that's not my other message either -- just one more & I'm outta 
here....

J.




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