Re: Old Postcard Silver Patina

For several years I toned most of my prints with a chemical toner that
"plated out" silver gelatin emulsion to that silvery look, which I was
very very fond of. So naturally when I found (what I called) "plating
out" on old photos at flea markets & photo fairs I snapped them up --
usually bargains because they were considered "damaged."

These were not just, or even primarily, photo post cards, tho some of them
too, but all sorts of prints, from a souvenir photo of the Lincoln
Memorial mounted on cardboard to A.T. Bartels "Manufacturing Furrier, Fur
Garments of All Kinds Made To Order", shown with the staff ranked at the
door, undated but with the notation "Mrs. Dan Wolfe, Earlville, Ill."

In some, the "white" background has darkened to almost ochre and the
silvery part gotten a distinctly blue sheen, for an especially fine
effect. To me, removing that patina would be error close to vandalism,
though obviously (to quote Johnny Lock) "All men are liable to error; and
most men are, in many points, by passion or interest, under temptation to
it." (Needless to say, if Locke had been writing in 2004 instead of 1690
that would have been "all persons.")

In my observation, the patina hasn't changed a lot in maybe 20 years, even
a few just propped up on the counter, exposed 24/7 to NYC air -- I suspect
the coating isn't all that reactive. I've also seen edges of prints
covered by overmats which hadn't patina-ed, & therefore surmise that it
didn't happen, or not as readily, in the dark. (The print was under glass,
so I figure it wasn't primarily the air.)

On the other hand, the "Bartels" print, dark when I got it, has darkened
more, losing some of the shine. Tho that could be because it's glued hard
& fast onto black card with who knows what for paste.

Prints in those boxes of loose prints from the 1930s & later sometimes
show the effect, too -- but I find the effect less compelling.

Judy
Received on Fri Jan 6 23:09:04 2006