Re: archivalness and alt process

I have expressed my opinion on this before, but here goes again.

I personally do not find any advantage at all to argyrotype over VDB.
The color is slightly different, but no richer in my opinion and,
color is a subjective taste. Plus, if you really expect any archival
quality from either process I strongly believe the prints need to be
toned. At that point you are back to base one with color because
toning will change it.

On the other hand, I find some definite disadvantages to argyroptype
compared to VDB. The first and most important one is that argyroptype
is very paper sensitive and in practice many good papers that work
well with VDB do not work well argyroptype. Second, it is harder to
get a good coating with argyroptype with many papers without the use
of a surfactant. And third, argyrpptype is much more sensitive to hu
midity than VDB.

My comments are based on extensive work with both argyroptype and VDB
as well as traditional kallitype using ferric oxalate. On the whole I
prefer kallitype for the greater contrast control it offers, but
given a digital negative of the right contrast VDB is a close second.
For archival reasons I always tone both kallitype and VDB prints,
usually with palladium, platinum, or gold, or some combination of the
above.

As you say, in most cases discussions of this type eventually hinge
around personal preferences, and the things we best understand and
know how to do. And of course, once we have worked out the details
that have to be controlled to make good prints with any process we
tend to be satisfied and just make prints. So a person who has
already developed a good work flow with argyroptype does not need to
change anything about what they are doing. However, for a beginner
starting out and trying to choose between argyrptoype and VDB, I
would recommend VDB.

Sandy

>Good morning!
>It's interesting to read how threads morph through time, almost like
>that telephone game where you whisper into someone's ear something,
>and they do the same with your words, and pass it down the line to
>the last person who then says the statement and it is completely
>different than what you originally stated.
>
>If I remember, the original thread had to do with the question, "Why
>argyrotype?" I think this boils down to personal preference,
>really...one can see the obvious beauty of pt/pd or a salt print,
>but when it comes to the brownprint processes, they can be
>considered somewhat equivalent (I know some of you are rolling in
>your graves at this statement) , although to me the choices and
>surprise with toning cyanotype all different colors make it my
>favorite, now that I have derived the corrrect curve to fit its
>short tonal range and therefore express all the tones of the
>negative. And I only need worry about alkaline storage situations in
>regard to its archivalness.
>
>The silver based processes are another story..and as I said earlier
>I had VDB's degrade which were made last April. My argyrotypes have
>not degraded. It was obviously a processing error, but I've not had
>that problem with other processes so it surprised me. Thus I am a
>little leery of VDB and certainly of selling one--once bitten twice
>shy.
>
>Once you get into sales, I personally believe to NOT worry about
>archivalness, not that anyone has truly suggested that (telephone
>game again), is unconscionable. I sell mordancages, and tell my
>buyers it is not an archival process; I have considered giving them
>a computer print alongside the original in the future, but the
>degradation process is part of the mordancage process in the first
>place--I mean, it can hardly get anymore damaged and chemically
>altered than it already is!
>
>So back to the original question--why argyrotype? Mike Ware says it
>is not proven to be more archival, and thus it is only personal
>anecdote that will put its archivalness into question I suppose,
>especially those who do both argyrotype and VDB side by side. I
>don't know of that many people doing argyrotype but Darryl Baird and
>myself have, and I have had no problems with my prints. Have to
>wait another 30 years I suppose.
>
>Where are the other 600 list members who never post??? Why not chime
>in here with your experience with VDB vs. argyrotype? Any
>degradation issues?
>
>And one last point; in reading through the history of photography,
>the degradation of images was the major issue of the time, images
>fading and spotting and such within a few years. During this milieu
>gum printing was acknowledged to be perfectly archival. Gum rocks.
>Chris
Received on Mon Mar 27 12:41:43 2006