RE: Truth Beauty book
Chris and all, For those interested in Mr. Jay's writing and photos visit his website. It may not be up much longer. http://www.billjayonphotography.com/ Don -----Original Message----- From: Christina Z. Anderson [mailto:zphoto@montana.net] Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 12:20 PM To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca Subject: Re: Truth Beauty book Speaking of Bill Jay, this just in: http://nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2009/05/jay.html Chris __________________ Christina Z. Anderson http://christinaZanderson.com/ __________________ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Henry Rattle" <henry.rattle@ntlworld.com> To: <alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca> Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 10:13 AM Subject: Re: Truth Beauty book > The Demachy story is recounted in Bill Jay's book (the one that has a > rather > one-track selection from Demachy's oeuvre) as (in 1894): > > "I was buying some hydroquinone at a dealer's, and complaining at the same > time of my inability to secure the proper quality of blacks with > gelatino-bromide paper. An unknown customer interrupted me and asked 'Why > don't you try Poitevin's gum process,... it is easy enough...' I bought > the > required materials there and then, and next morning began gum bichromate > printing..." ...after only 'a week or so of experimental coating and > developing, I got a few fair results which were exhibited at the London > Photographic Salon' > > The story is referenced to Practical Photographer, Library series, No.7 > (1904) p.2 > > Best wishes > > Henry > > > On 14/5/09 23:19, "Judy Seigel" <jseigel@panix.com> wrote: > >> >> On Wed, 13 May 2009, Jack Brubaker wrote: >> >>> Chris wrote >>> >>>> What I cannot understand, though (forgive my opinion here), is that >>>> generation's fascination with the Michallet paper that had strong >>>> vertical >>>> lines. >>> >>> Chris, when I look at the Demachy prints I see someone trying to make >>> photos look like chalk drawings. He chooses the red chalk color and >>> uses the tiniest brushes lifting out highlights to emulate academic >>> drawing standards of the 19th century. One of the prints in the St. >>> Louis show a couple of years ago of fishermen pushing their boat up >>> onto the beach had remarkable details in the hands. Knuckles that we >>> would understand without further delineation in a photo he had >>> carefully highlighted no matter how dense the shadow it hovered in. >>> >>> I love the prints but think it is a very interesting look into the era >>> that he felt compelled to such extremes. In that context his use of >>> common drawing paper texture seems a natural. >>> >>> Jack >> >> Exactly... besides which, they didn't have the factory materials we have >> now. The story of the invention of gum printing is that Demachy was in >> his >> photo supply shop (ca 1896), complaining that with the current material >> he >> couldn't get a good black, when a fellow customer described someone's new >> gum process: "you mix paint with gum arabic, add potassium dichromate, >> coat it on paper, expose under a negative & wash in water." Demachy >> allegedly made a few tests, then got his gum prints in the next salon. >> >> (The story was reprinted in a couple of early anthologies. I've got it >> somewhere, but maybe someone knows the reference right off?) >> >> J. > > >
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