Re: Albumen dichromated and otherwise.

Luis Nadeau (awef6t@itchy.mi.net)
Mon, 19 Feb 1996 14:31:10 +0300

>Luis
>
>As to the chemistry of albumen prints. I accept everything you say.
>But sometimes somebody gets in right and good prints survive. Have you ever
>looked under the mat of a Turner water-colour and seen the colours he used
>rather than the faded colours in the versions we are presented with today.

I have and this is my point. When you lift the mat you can see side-by-side
the difference between what it is and what it was. And it was a lot better!

Hardly a couple of days go by without my receiving a letter with comments
like "they look just like the day they were made..." To which I always feel
like replying: "How do you know that? Are you 165 years old?"

>But as to their appearance the good albumen prints ( bought at the local junk
>shop for 50p) look so good that I show them to students as a reason for not
>making straight albumen prints as a creative exercise as their quality is very
>similar, and in fact better, than a straight thiocarbamide toned resin coated
>print. I get students to make albumen arrowroot prints which gives us an excuse
>to use the teaching kitchens where there always seems to be a group learning
>Australian cake icing at the other end of the room.
>
>Prints of neither process compare with the beauty of my 1870s woodburytypes
>prepared from Fenton's British Museum photographs, one of which is technically
>and aesthetically one of the best photographic prints that I have seen.

Check the list's archives and do a search on woodburytype for some
interesting discussions.

>As to showing you. Please call when you are next in London.

Ahem. If we could use this list for financial gain, I would offer to double
your 50p investment and you could send me the print... It would still be
cheaper than taking the Concorde over and...;-)

>I would love to show
>them to you, and my gum prints,and to discuss our enthusism for gum. I have
>wanted to meet you for some time and now the list may set up the opportunity.
>The list has already given me a gravure worker from Newfoundland. I would like
>to meet you both in Canada, but, at the moment ,London seems more likely.

Eveything is possible, but I am willing to go more than halfway to meet
you;-) I'll be in Paris in May. I'll have more to say a little later on
this list as it is pertinent to Alt-photo users.

..

>The Albumen and Salted Paper Book is much to be praised. I keep intending to
>make up the cheese cake recipe. Are there copies still available ? I have
>created a demand for it.

Last I heard from Reilly, he told me it was out of print. I toyed about the
idea of buying the rights for a reprint but I have been so busy as it is...

>I have a friend, Magda Kozera, who tells me off, rightly,in relation to my
>incorrect attitude to conservation. Her Masters is in photographic
>conservation,
>she is currently working on her PhD which is related to the mounting and
>presentation of photographs. She might wish to come along too when you call.

Is she part of the RCA/V&A programme? I have helped a lot of their students.

Luis Nadeau