Re: help identifying a book

Sigh,
     Everytime I open up a message about "help identifying a book", I
anticipate an answer to my plight, to no avail...here's hoping beyond hope.
     But on the topic of Koenig, Wade, Barna....I'm going to stick my neck
waaaaayyyy out here if I remember correctly, and say that it is moreso Wade
and Barna need to acknowledge the Brits, because if I am not mistaken I came
across mention of such a process in researching gum thru 1860-1910. Long
live England! But I have yet to figure out if gum goes to the British, the
French, or the Scottish...in which case, Koenig would be akin to the French
(Demachy, Rouille Ladeveze) who are responsible for the resergence of gum in
the late 1800's and then on, if not its inception. Or maybe Bea Nettles and
Betty Hahn (American) in the 70's. Hmmm...
Chris
----- Original Message -----
From: "Keith Gerling" <Keith@gumphoto.com>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@skyway.usask.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 3:47 PM
Subject: RE: help identifying a book

> Judy,
>
> It sounds like you have some kind of agenda against Koenig. What else is
> new. I'm having trouble with the notion that he shouldn't write about gum
> oil. Certainly no one else is, and I think it is a pretty good
possibility
> it might have disappeared down the memory hole, had he not resurrected it.
> Is it evil to "sell" the details of a photographic process that is not the
> creation of the author? God knows, there are plenty of books about gum.
> Maybe it would have met with your approval had he entitled it "Karl Koenig
> explains John Barna's Gum Oil Process as Popularized by Kent Wade."
Koenig
> gives credit. That's more than some authors do.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Judy Seigel [mailto:jseigel@panix.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 2:32 PM
> To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
> Subject: Re: help identifying a book
>
>
>
> On Tue, 1 Jun 2004, DENNIS KLINKER wrote:
>
> > Judy while not having a copy of Carl Koenig's Gum Oil book in front of
me
> i
> > am sure from memory that he sited the Wade book as his inspiration. I
> think
> > we should give credit to Koenig for giving this process the exposure he
> > does.
>
> Dennis, I'm of two minds about that. My impression of the "exposure"
> Koenig gave the process is an article bylined "Koenig" in every photo
> magazine of the day, even a little regional newletter from somewhere down
> south, and as I recall (there could have been exceptions, but few) they
> mostly plugged the book and did not mention other sources. That is,
> here's this great new process, but you couldn't quite do it from the
> article, there was always a formula, the bleach, or whatever, you had to
> get the book for.... After a while it was almost comical -- although
> frankly, I fault the editors for bad journalism -- though, on the other
> hand, they themselves may not have known enough to tell that -the story
> wasn't complete - as is often the case.
>
> Plus, the concept "gum-oil" is itself unclear. I think it didn't exist
> until Kent Wade.... that is, none of my dictionaries or encyclopedias of
> photography pre 1978 list it. (My only post-1978 encyclopedia is Nadeau,
> which doesn't list it either.) I never saw the term until Wade's 1978
> book. Wonderful as Wade is (and a pioneer), footnote documentation wasn't
> his strong suit. Wade's section on "Gum oil printing" shows 3 images, one
> by John Borna, and two by Wade. There's a simple description of procedure,
> but no info about origin... has anyone else seen it before this book?
>
> Then in the "Bibliography" there is only this:
>
> Barna, John. The Gum/Oil Print, Experimentation, Portland, Oregon.
> Unpublished graduate paper.
>
> I get the idea, therefore, that John Barna probably invented the
> process... which Koenig has it seems made his own. Today the process is
> cited widely (brilliant PR), although it doesn't seem to be widely used.
> (I wonder how many folks persuaded to buy the book by those articles ever
> did much with the process. ) Either way, it would seem that the basics, as
> well as the name, may be Barna's, and he seems not to be credited.
>
> J.
>
>
> Gum Oil has in common with Postfactory review something very rare in
> > this day and age real enthusiasm.PS my grubby little hands can't wait to
> get
> > hold of the latest PFR.Dennis Klinker
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Judy Seigel" <jseigel@panix.com>
> > To: <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
> > Cc: <alt-photo-process-error@sask.usask.ca>
> > Sent: Monday, May 31, 2004 2:37 AM
> > Subject: Re: help identifying a book
> >
> >
> > >
> > > On Sat, 29 May 2004, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hi all,
> > > > I have a xerox of a book with no bibliography on it I was hoping
> > someone
> > > > could identify. It is about 10 inches tall, I assume it is from the
> > 80's,
> > > > on page 101 it has a heading of Bichromate-Based Images. On 102 it
> has
> > the
> > > > heading Preparation for Printing. On 103 Gum Sensitizing, on 104
> > Pigments
> > > > for the Gum Process and Exposing the Developing the Gum Print (their
> > error),
> > > > and on 105 Photogravure. Thus ends the Gum Print section.
> > > >
> > > > It is not Reeves and Sward, Howell-Koehler, House, Arnow,
> Frederick...I
> > > > think it is from the 80's. It could be Wade but I don't know...I
> xeroxed
> > it
> > > > a long time ago, though.
> > >
> > > Christina, It's not Wade, or a couple of others I checked (Blacklow,
> > > Langford, at al). And it's not Arnold Gassan *4th edition* tho I'm
> > > wondering if it could be an earlier or later Gassan -- that kind of
> > > grouping sounds like him.
> > >
> > > But I mention something I'd noticed a while back in Kent Wade &
thought
> > > worth mentioning: Wade has a section on "Gum Oil," which he cites as
> the
> > > invention/discovery of a graduate student, from his thesis -- I
haven't
> > > seen Karl Koenig's "Gum Oil," tho I did see his promotion for that
book
> in
> > > every venue from here to Machu Pichu... I wondered if the source was
> > > credited... Does anyone have that ??? (Just curious.)
> > >
> > > cheers,
> > >
> > > Judy
> >
>
Received on Wed Jun 2 15:02:51 2004