Re: Atget

Luis Nadeau (nadeaul@nbnet.nb.ca)
Sun, 12 Mar 1995 12:56:50 +0300

>In-Reply-To: <v02110101ab87ef01ccaa@[204.160.88.231]>
>>Atget used Gelatine-Chloride Printing Out Paper, and I would love to know
>>how he processed and toned the stuff, his images are amazing. I use
>P.O.P,
>>and can not duplicate the tones of his work...
>
>p179 of ATGET:Modern Times, vol 4 of The Work of Atget, John Szarkowski
>and Maria Morris Hambourg, MOMA 1985 has a note on Atget's prints.
>
>It states he used several papers at different times. They were albumen
>and matt albumen papers rather than normal POP. And they would all have
>been gold toned.
>I don't know if albumen paper is still available commercially - it was

No. Guilleminot was the actual manufacturer, in France, and closed their
doors a few months ago. CAW is looking for another manufacturer.

Luis Nadeau

>made by The Chicago Albumen works a few years ago. Atget's techniques are
>probably those given in any photo text of the 1890's or so when he learnt
>- he was not given to innovation in the darkroom. The reprints by Joel
>Snyder and Richard Benson on CAW paper from the originals were very
>similar. You would need also to start with similar negs to get similar
>results. He used glass plates. Most photographers at the time gave very
>generous exposure and development by our standards. Again it might be
>worth looking at contemporary literature if you really want to acheive
>similar results.
>
>Peter