I am working with a museum collection of plates made by a local photographer
from a remote northern farm community. The plates date from the late
1890's to the mid 1930's. He must have been your "average" local
photographer--family portraits, sport teams, class photographs, logging
camps, hilltop views of the town. I've even found his "self-portrait" in
his silhouetted reflected appearance (with his camera!) upon the glass of a
store window display that he photographed. After printing many of his
negatives, I feel I know this man: dutiful to his trade, whimsical when
permitted.
Here is a question about his technique.
In a number of his works I notice blue smudges on the non-emulsion side
of the plates. Most often they appear as his finger prints--purposely
smudged to reduce definite lines. He seemed to use his fingers to create
an uneven surface. As the blue marks are applied to very low density
areas of the negative, I relate this practice to Luis Nadeau's comment
that blue colored glass during exposure or blue dye in the sensitizer can
reduce contrast. (Nadeau's History and Practice of Platinum Printing,
page 46).
Does anyone know what material is used to effect these blue marks? They
do not appear to be water soluble. Is such material currently available?
Anyone "fingerprinting" their negatives these days?
Ron Silvers
Toronto, Canada