Re: Betty Hahn, was gumbies/Smieglitz

Hamish Stewart & Sophie Colmont (Hamish.Sophie@wanadoo.fr)
Fri, 12 Jun 1998 11:50:45 +0200

>Subject: Betty Hahn, was gumbies/Smieglitz
>Sent: 11/6/98 6:02
>Received: 12/6/98 0:13
>From: Judy Seigel, jseigel@panix.com
>To: Karl P. Koenig, kpkoe@swcp.com
>CC: Alt-photo-process, alt-photo-process-l@skyway.usask.ca
>
>
>
>On Wed, 10 Jun 1998, Karl P. Koenig wrote:
>
>> According to Betty Hahn, the mother of modern and not so modern gum
>> printers (see her volume and traveling exhibit---most recently at Eastman
>> House called "Photography or Maybe Not") she recommends a 5% solution
>> (achieved by weight of the salt) of potassium bichromate. For myself I
>
>"Darkroom," by Lustrum Press (Ralph Gibson's imprint) 1973, distributed by
>Light Impressions, has an article by Betty Hahn on her gum process. Here
>she says she uses a 10% solution of potassium bichromate -- although she
>could have changed that later. I was, however, struck by the fact that
>she said she uses one part sensitizer to 3 parts gum arabic. The later
>manuals (and the way I was taught) mostly said one part gum to two parts
>sensitizer -- in pursuit of speed, I suppose.

2:1 I find produces a lower contrast - but it is faster. I read in an old
manual that this mix was useful for multiple printing after the first
printing, which might be contrasty 1:1, followed by layers at 2:1. I've
used this approach myself usually with the second and third coatings. I'm
curious about 3:1 though. I suspect that it would allow you to increase
the gum/pigment ratio and avoid staining, because you have more gum in
proportion to pigment and sensitiser. But I wonder if it is also more
contrasty. Perhaps Betty Hahn used this mix more because she was working
on fabric. I recall she made some comments about the differiences of
working on fabric as opposed to paper.
>
>The article shows her gum printing on cloth, and reproduces a couple of
>her gums in green on "Rives" (presumably BFK), which look great.

Yes it was those pictures that first inspired me, and then I did a class
at college - haven't stopped since then..:-)
>
>This book ... to be found used here and there.... is excellent throughout.
>(In my opinion the sequel, Darkroom 2, was not nearly as interesting.)

A great book indeed. A real incentive to the intuitive photographer.

Cheers
Hamish
>