Matte Collodion Prints

"Head and shoulders portrait of Hull in profile. She wears a brimmed hat and ribbon at her neck"

Development & History

Matte collodion Prints were a specific type of collodion printing-out papers that had been around since 1867. In the mid-1890s, in response to the popularity of the matte-appearance of the platinotype prints. Matte collodion prints were a cheaper alternative to the rather expensive platinum prints and quickly gained widespread use in commercial portrait photography.

Matte collodion prints were the latest in a rather long history of collodion in photography:

• Collodion is a mixture of pyroxylin (cotton or wood cellulose, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, also known as guncotton) with alcohol and ether. 
• First used by Frederick Scott Archer for his wet collodion negative, in 1851. 
• Subsequently used as a binder in ambrotypes and tintypes. 
• Antoine Gaudin was the first to use collodion as a binder for paper prints, suspending silver-salts within the collodion itself to create a collodion printing-out papers in 1861.
• George W. Simpson developed his own collodio-chloride paper in 1865.
• In 1866, Jose Martinez-Sanchez and Jean Laurent modified Simpson's process, adding a layer of barium sulfate, or baryta layer, which prevented the emulsion from being absorbed into the paper fibers. 
• J.B. Obernetter introduced his own in 1868.
• Paul Eduard Liesegang began manufacturing ready-to-use collodion emulsion printing paper in 1884.
• Matte collodion printing papers introduced in 1894.

The Matte appearance of these collodion papers was achieved with a coarse baryta layer beneath the collodion emulsion, as well as by adding starch to the emulsion. Collodion papers were rather versatile and could be toned a number of ways to produce varying results. Most often they were gold- and then platinum toned in an attempt to match the appearance of the platinotype.

It may also be worth noting that throughout the late 19th century, the production of photographic printing papers, including matte collodion POPs, became more and more industrialized, as machines were developed for coating long rolls of paper with emulsions quickly and continuously, notably by A. Kurtz for the Aristotype company in the late 1880s. 

Typical Uses.

As the rather glossy albumen prints fell out of style, in favor of matte platinotypes, collodion pops presented a cheap, versatile alternative. They became the dominant choice for professional and amateur portrait photography from around 1895 up to 1910.  

Appearance and Identification 

Matte collodion POPs often vary in color from red brown or purple black, to neutral black, depending on the toning and development, or the specific formula of the emulsion. Because the most common toning method was to use gold and then platinum, brownish to neutral-blacks are the most common colors.

Matte collodion prints are often easily mistaken for platinotypes, however they tend to have a somewhat sharper image, as well as  a slight sheen that is lacking in the platinotypes which tend have a totally matte appearance. 

Preservation

Matte collodion prints were more stable and consistent than albumen, and tend to hold up well with little discoloration under the proper conditions, however they are not without some concerns. Pure collodion is not very flexible once dried. Although plasticizers were added during production to make it easier to work with and prevent curling, loss of these plasticizers over time can lead to brittleness and hairline cracks in the image. 

Bibliography

"Matte Collodion Prints." Graphics Atlas: Identification. Accessed September 19, 2015. 

http://www.graphicsatlas.org/identification/?process_id=17

Penichon, Silvie. "Differences in Tonality Produced by Different Toning Protocols for Matte Collodion Photographs." Journal of the American Institute for Conservation 38, No. 2 (1999): 124-143.

Reilly, James. Care and Identification of 19th Century Photographic Prints. Rochester, N.Y.: Eastman Kodak, 1986.

Sarony & Otto Co. Head and shoulders portrait of Hull in profile. She wears a brimmed hat and ribbon at her neck. 1909. Matte collodion printing-out paper photoprint. 3.875x5.5 in. Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America. Available from: ARTstor, www.artstor.org (accessed September 20, 2015).

Stulick, Dusan C. and Art Kaplan. "Collodion on Paper." In The Atlas of Analytical Signatures of Photographic Processes. Getty Conservation Institute. Los Angeles, CA.: J. Paul Getty Trust, 2013.