Richard Bolt (dick.bolt@gsfc.nasa.gov)
Tue, 06 Apr 1999 10:06:08 -0400
Hi, I'm new to this listserver, but not to photo history.
I've always wondered why someone would think of mercury in the early
1800s to use for photography. Was mercury known for fine droplets, and
therefore a good choice for fine detail? Was mercury one of few
chemicals that would stick to exposed silver nitrate?
Dick
In 1974 period I read every thing I could on making Salt Prints. I
spent several years experimenting. I did use Crane fine all rag paper
as someone else mentioned as a good choice. I however got my supply
from the Dalton dump as I lived in town in that period. Crane was
making the paper from mens underware rejects! Yes, rag is as rag was!
I tried alot different sizing and salt compounds to see what the colors
and results would be. I was researching and buying salt prints, so I
wanted to be able to make counterfits ( all mine have ID on back of
image section!) to be able to detect counterfits!
I am interested in Vectorgaphs. I wrote the Polaroid historian that
works at Harvard and was supposed to give a talk to PHSNE last weekend,
but go no response as of yet!
To: mcelheny@MIT.EDU
From: Richard Bolt <<dick.bolt@gsfc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Charles Debois Hodges & Vectographs
Cc:
Bcc:
X-Attachments:
I saw your biography in new PHSNE newsletter yesterday and wanted to
write you about Vectographs. Some past e-mail between myself & Eastman
House ( Andrew Eskind <<andy@geh.org> ) are attached below that will
likely explain why I am interested. If you have time, I would like to
know more about Polaroid & the Vectrographs. Thanks---Dick
name: Mc Elheny, Victor email: mcelheny@MIT.EDU phone: (617)
253-7992 address: E51-282
department: Sci Tech & Society title: Visiting Scholar
Below is part of e-mail that went to him:
<fontfamily><param>Times</param><bigger>Charles Hodges had made stereo
card photographs in 30s for Keystone. He did child photography using
one of the Biedler-Viking 5X7 twin cameras on one focusing platform for
child photography. One of the 3 built and patented is in the
Smitheonian & I have another. I think the 3rd was disassembled in
period. There were many copies of this type of design in photo
magazines of the 60s as I remember.
He also used a Graphic stereo camera to make Polaroid 3D lintecular
prints called Vectoigraphs in the late 40s. He did the Grand Central
huge wall vectographs for " Life Savers" adds. I have one of his 4X5
samples of this process. I wonder if Polaroid has one of the full sized
ones?
</bigger></fontfamily>
<color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><bigger><bigger>Life member and one
of 4 founders of the 20 yr+ old PHSNE, Photographic Historical Soc. of
New England, now over 600+ world-wide. Collector of Antique Cameras
plus </bigger></bigger></color>Collector & historian of US Salt Print
Industry ( 1850-1859).
*My main webb page http://www.his.com/~dickbolt/
Rebuilding my Photo History Page slowly:
http://westwood.fortunecity.com/isaac/571/
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