Woodburytype (1870-1900)
· Invented by Walter
Bentley Woodbury (1834-1885), patented in England in 1866, and built on
previous work by Fox Talbot (bichromated gelatin), Alphonse Poitevin
(pigmented-gelatin process), Adolphe Fargier (collodion on bichromated gelatin
layer), and Joseph Wilson (carbon paper).
o
Previously
worked as gold prospector in Australia before picking up the camera and heading
to Java.
· Process
(Photomechanical)
o
Photographic
negatives printed to gelatin sensitized with potassium bichromate
o
Exposed
gelatin, then developed in hot water and dried
o
Dried
gelatin then placed in press with soft lead plate to make an intaglio plate
o
Intaglio
is covered with gelatin “ink” (consistency of cold maple syrup) then a sheet of
paper is laid on top and pressed
o
Soak
print alum solution to harden image
o
Once
dried a perfect facsimile results
· Used primarily to
reproduce high-quality artwork and photographs for publication in book format, but
also advertising materials, cartes-de-vistes, and cabinet cards. Welcomed for its almost perfect reproduction
of images, with subtlety of shades better represented. Fell out of favor due to labor intensity
(each image was done separately and had to be added to the bound book) and
inability to be printed with text for newspapers, magazines, etc.
o
Used
by numerous book publishers in Europe and the United States, from fiction to
medical works to art books. First
popular use in a book was Street Life in
London (1877) by John Thomson. Any
photograph negative could be used.
· Identification can be
difficult since carbon print is a very similar process, but there are a few
things to look out for:
o
Little
to no fading due to sealed pigmented gelatin
o
Prominent
image relief versus the flat carbon print
o
Usually
smaller than 7x9 inches, never larger than 10x14 inches due to pressure needed
to make larger prints
o
Possible
cracks in heavily shadowed areas
o
Magnified
one can see paper fibers in highlight areas and only two layers (paper and
binder)
o
Many
are labeled “woodburytype,” “woodburydruck,”(German) or “photoglyptie” (French)
o
Dating
can be first done by the processes heyday, 1870-1900, and further based off of
clothing, objects, and publication date (if found in a book)
· Preservation is mostly
concerned with image fading and mechanical issues with the paper, but a few
points to be aware of are:
o
30-40%
humidity, 65 degrees Fahrenheit, with air filtration and purification
o
Stored
flat with rigid secondary support to prevent curling
o
If
displayed, use low light – tungsten incandescent at 50 lux
o
Careful
handling of print when viewing/moving
Bibliography
Crawford,
William. The Keepers of Light: A History and Working Guide to Early Photographic Processes. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Morgan and Morgan, 1979.
George
Eastman House. “The Woodburytype - Photographic Processes Series.” Youtube.com.
Hammond,
Anne Kelsey. “Aesthetic Aspects of the Photomechanical Print.” In British
Photography
in the Nineteenth Century, edited by Mark Weaver, 163-179. New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1989.
Image
Permanence Institution. “Graphic Atlas: Identification, Woodburytype.”
Graphicatlas.org.
http://www.graphicsatlas.org/identification/?process_id=38 (accessed September 21,
2015).
Newhall,
Beaumont, the History of Photography:
from 1839 to the present. Boston: Little,
Brown and Company, 1984.
Reilly,
James C. Care and Identification of 19th-Century
Photographic Prints. Rochester, NY:
Eastman Kodak Company.
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