James Thomson

The blue print as a means of artistic expression, is no doubt the simplest method of sun printing available for photographic purposes, but the Color is a serious objection, for the generallity of subjects it will not do. In the photo miniature and in other directions we find instructions to enable us to change the objectionable blue to other colors, notably black and brown. The person who devised these methods must have had exceptionally good fortune in his efforts, or perhaps is one that is easily suited, for no one else, I am certain has ever succeeded in getting any other result than dingy prints from following the printed directions.

But why waste time in trying to make an imperfect way that which can be had to perfection by other more simple processes. For example, plain silver paper and kallitype. Eastman's sepia paper gives beautiful rich browns and is as cheap and simple in manipulation as the blue print. Some who have failed with it have had old paper forced upon them. Stale paper brings a train of disappointments.

The purpose of this article, however, is to instruct the readers of this magazine in a method of preparing for themselves paper in every way as good as those mentioned, and giving brilliant brown effects without toning, having the additional good quality of being as cheap and easy to produce as a blue print.

In one of my experiments I stumbled on this formula. Whether it is something very original I know not, but this I know : I have never seen it in any publication that has come my way. Whether new or old, it is something worth knowing.

For a foundation a good firm non-porous paper is essential, any paper that is of the nature of cardboard will not answer, A cream laid smooth surface writing paper will do, and if extra brilliant effects are desired a size of starch or arrow-root should be applied and then thoroughly dried. The salting solution is as follows.

Distilled or boiled water, 1 oz.

Citrate of iron and ammonia, 90 grains

Coat the paper thinly and evenly with this, either with a brush or tuft of absorbent cotton, and when surface dry complete by artificial heat. Then apply the sensitizer, which is herewith given :

Distilled or boiled water, 1 oz.

Silver nitrate, 50 grains.

Citric acid, 20 grains.

Press rather hard in coating so as to take off as mnch as possible of the superfluous iron solution from the surface, which if permitted to remain will make more than the desired contrast. Printing with the proportions mentioned is very rapid, a well defined tawny image being produced in a few minutes. Stop the printing before fully brought out, under print because the image will develop some in the washing. When printed wash away the unaffected salts as with a blue print, then transfer to the fixing bath composed of 2 grains of hypo to the ounce of tap water, where the print will immediately begin to darken. Three minutes in the hypo is usually sufficient' five minutes at most, as the image loses in strength when left too long. Wash for twenty minutes and dry between blotters or clean papers. The resultant prints shonld be a rich brown and may be further darked by the application of heat. Should the contrast be too great dilute the iron solution (which regulates the contrast). However, if this is done, it slows the time of printing-The stronger the iron solution the quicker the printing and the greater the contrast, hence the value of this method for overtime negatives which ordinarily are useless. For rough papers it will be necessary to use say 60 grains of iron to the ounce of water. I have always used the iron and silver separately because I got good results, but these may work all right mixed just before applying and one coating made of it. The great drawback with the paper is its non-keeping qualities. It deteriorates quickly and no more than can be used in twenty-four hours should be prepared at one time. Some one with more knowledge of the subject than the writer may be able to devise a preservative, making the paper thereby of more value commercially.

Such a paper ought to be of value to architects in producing easily and cheaply pictures of house illustration, etc.

Further investigation convinces me that prints should be left in the hypo, only so long as they retain their vigor and brilliancy, regardless of time. Some prints will reach their best in thirty seconds, while others can with safety be left five minutes, Long immersion causes fog and general deterioration. Properly manipulated, this process will produce prints to equal in graduation any Kallitype or Platinotype, while results from improper working are chalky high-lights and loss in the half-tones. Western Camera Notes.