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| C. R., 17.- PARIS - Le Dome des Invalides. 1016. Collotype Print. George Eastman House. |
Important Figures
·
Joseph Albert and Jakub Husnik – In 1868, Albert
and Husnik created the first practical application of the collotype for mass
reproduction by changing the process. This allowed up to one thousand
reproduction prints to be reproduced from one plate.[2]
A few years later in the 1870s, Albert developed the three color-collotype
process, which using separate plates each in a primary color, would create
color prints of images.[3]
·
Benrido Collotype Atelier – Benrido is one of
the last companies currently producing collotypes. Located in Kyoto, Japan,
they have developed a method of incorporating digital negatives into the
collotype process. Through this process, modern photographers may have
collotypes created from their work to sell.[4]
·
Photographers- As the collotype was primarily
created for reproduction of images, there are not many photographers who used
the process as a way of creating images. Often the photographic negatives of
any kind of photography would be printed and reproduced using the collotype
method. In the 1970s, however, photographer Todd Walker created series of
photographs using this process as his primary printing method.[5]
Process
·
The creation of collotype prints begins with the
creation of a surface for gelatin to adhere to through grounding a metal
plate. After this it is placed into an
oven on a whirler, where the plate itself is heated and the hot gelatin is
applied. It is then allowed to cool.[6]
·
The next step in the creation of a collotype is
to place a photographic negative on the gelatin coated side of the plate before
exposing it to actinated light for a set period of time. Through this process
the plate is “tanned,” which essentially means that the plate will become
receptive to ink. The areas in which light hit the plate through the negative
will reject the inking to produce black or dark colored areas, while the areas
protected by the darker space in the negative will print as white or light
colored areas. This also allows for a gradient of shading to be produced from
the collotype process.[7]
·
As the third step is to soak the plate in a
solution called etch, which is a mix glycerin, ammonia, and water, in order to
create a low relief on the plate. This will allow hard, waxy ink to be applied
through a slow rolling process. The repetition of this process in multiple
colors allows for color photography reproduction.[8]
Uses
·
The collotype was typically used to create
limited edition prints of photographs or reproductions of artworks. It was also
used to reproduced ephemera, such illustrations, advertisements, and greeting
cards.[9]
Identification
·
Collotypes take the appearance of a
typical black and white photograph, which could take the appearance of older
forms of photography depending on the ink. The physical appearance also depends
on if it has been varnished or not, which would make the difference between a
glossy or matte print. Under a microscope, collotypes take on the appearance of
being composed of polygons. [10]
·
Collotypes were created from the
mid-1800s through the current day, but faded from popular use around the 1930s
in the United States.[11]
Simple color collotypes began to be produced 1874, but by 1882 the colors
plates used in the printing process could be as many as six.[12]
Preservation
·
Collotypes do not really need to preserved,
unless the quality of paper is poor or it has been torn in some way. The ideal
storage is below sixty five degrees in acid-free materials that pass the
Photographic Activity Test.[13]
Bibliography
- Benrido Collotype Atelier in Kyoto. “Process,” Accessed September 19, 2015. https://benrido-collotype.today/
- Harrison, David. “Edward Bierstadt: Color Photography and Color Printing,” Printing History
- (2003): 3-25.
- Kirby, Kent. “The Collotype Printing Process: A Proposal for Its Revival,” Leonardo 9 (1979): 183-186.
- Stulik, Dusan C., and Art Kaplan. The Atlas of Analytical Signatures of Photographic Process: Collotype. Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute, 2013. Ebook PDF.
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Preservation Self-Assessment Program. “Photomechanical Prints,” Accessed September 19, 2015. https://psap.library.illinois.edu/format-id-guide/photomechanical
[1]
Dusan C. Stulik and Art Kaplan. The Atlas
of Analytical Signatures of Photographic Process: Collotype. (Los Angeles:
The Getty Conservation Institute, 2013): 1.
[2]
Stulik and Kaplan, Collotype. 5.
[3]
David Harrison. “Edward Bierstadt: Color Photography and Color Printing,” Printing History (2003): 4-6.
[5]
Stulik and Kaplan, Collotype. 7
[6] Kent Kirby. “The Collotype Printing Process: A
Proposal for Its Revival,” Leonardo 9
(1979): 185.
[7]
Kirby, “The Collotype Printing Process,” 185.
[8]
Kirby, “The Collotype Printing Process,” 185.
[9]
Stulik and Kaplan, Collotype. 7
[10]
Stulik and Kaplan, Collotype. 9
[11] Kirby,
“The Collotype Printing Process,” 184.
[12]
Stulik and Kaplan, Collotype. 20
[13] “Photomechanical
Prints,” Accessed September 19, 2015. https://psap.library.illinois.edu/format-id-guide/photomechanical
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