From: Peter Marshall (petermarshall@cix.co.uk)
Date: 09/09/02-03:48:06 AM Z
>
> --- shannon stoney <sstoney@pdq.net> wrote:
> > I saw some Atget prints at the mfa in houston
> > yesterday that were
> > labelled "arrowroot paper photograph."
> ...snip...
>
> Check out ARROWROOT PAPER for a probable answer
> --(http://albumen.stanford.edu/library/c19/arrowrt.html);
> arrowroot is used as a size, as I understand it, to
> keep the image on top of the paper rather than soaking
> into it.
>
> -- Philip
>
>
On the same site, you will find more information at:
http://albumen.stanford.edu/library/monographs/reilly/chap3.html
part of the online publication of the finest book on the subject:
Reilly, James M. The Albumen & Salted Paper Book: The history and practice
of photographic printing, 1840-1895. Light Impressions Corporation.
Rochester, 1980
Arrowroot prints have the same appearance as normal salt prints (possibly
a very slight difference in tone if you compared two on the same paper)
but possibly a slight increase in maximum density. I certainly couldn't
tell you which of my prints are plain salt and which arrowroot.
Reilly says: "Arrowroot paper is a form of salted paper in which the
binder material is a paste made from boiled arrowroot starch. The surface
qualities of arrowroot paper range from very matte to a dull gloss,
depending on the amount of starch applied to the paper and the smoothness
of the underlying rawstock. Arrowroot prints can be considerably more
brilliant and richer-looking than plain salted papers; they have a longer
density range and preserve more delicate detail."
I didn't manage to get the 'dull gloss' he refers to, presumably because
the papers I used were not smooth enough. Probably some of the prints in
collections labelled as 'matt albumen' are arrowroot prints.
Peter Marshall
Photography Guide at About http://photography.about.com/
email: photography.guide@about.com
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