The german journal <Rundbrief Fotografie> (Info in german and english available
at: http://www.foto.unibas.ch/~rundbrief/), together with other european
non-profit journals and organisations related to the conservation and history of
photography plans to publish an edition of photographs made by historic
processes. This >ORIGINAL edition< (working title) will give information about
history and practice, cultural, social and economic importance of significant
photographic processes. It will also explain how to identify these processes and
will give information about special conservative treatments that may be required
for photographic prints made by these processes.
At the moment 13 issues are planned (cyanotype, platinum, salted paper, gum
dichromate, carbon transfer, albumen, photogravure, oil or bromoil,
silverchloride gelatine (P.O.P., Aristo), fresson, silverbromide (RC & FB),
collotype and photolithography). The authors (image and text) shall be recruted
from all over Europe or even world wide and the texts will be trilingual
(german, english and french), to stress the requirerement of international
cooperation while conserving Europes photographic image memory. The ORIGINAL
edition is supported by the EPEG (European Photography Exchange Group).
The edition will be available through subscription. It's objective is to make
profit, although no private person (including the organizers of course) will be
favoured financially. Only expense allowances for photographers, printers and
writers will be paid. All profits made by the edition will be used to support
measures for conscious and appropriate dealing with historic photographs in
european museums, collections, archives and libraries (E. g. financial promotion
of non-profit conservation workshops for curators, conservators, archivists,
collectors; research support, symposions, publications etc.) The edition is
planned to run for three years, with a new edition coming out every three
months. After that time the profit will be distributed by a non-profit
association or club, of which all contributors (photographers, printers,
writers, organizers and distributors) can be members.
Anybody willing to cooperate, i. e. willing to print approx. 150-300 small (5x8
cm or 2x3.2 Inch) photographs by a historic process and/or to write about a
certain process, should please contact me. More information can be sent on
request.
Klaus Pollmeier