Retro Project and Carelton Watkins

[sanking]

Several years ago I saw a number of albumen prints by Carelton Watkins at the Harry Ranson Center at the University of Texas. I was quite blown away by the quality of the prints, both in terms of tonal control and sharpness. I was also very impressed with the openess in the deep shadows he managed to achieve, even on subjects that were obviously exposed in full sun.

Can someone point me to a good source on Watkins' technique as regards how he prepared his emulsion, its light sensitivity, and to what contrast he developed his plates? I am planning a retro type project using 20X24" format and am interested in replicating certain aspects of the look Watkins' prints.

Sandy King

[David Karp]

Sorry I can't help you directly, but last year the Yosemite Museum had an exhibit of mammoth plate photographs by Watkins and others. There is also a project underway to restore and to digitize the museum's collection of these old photographs. Perhaps a call to the museum might put you in touch with someone who has some detailed knowledge of Watkins's techniques.

Here is a link to the old press release regarding the exhibit: http://www.nps.gov/archive/yose/news/2006/muse0711.htm

Not much there on who you might contact, but at least it's a start.

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

Sandy,

I suspect you are better off asking these questions on the Civil War Reenactor's Collodion Forum (http://www.cwreenactors.com/phorum/index.php). You could also try contacting Mark Osterman (http://collodion.org/). These folks might not know the answer, but would know where to look.

[Joe Smigiel]

Sandy,

Try contacting Robert Szabo (http://www.robertszabo.com/) or perhaps Will Dunniway (http://www.collodion-artist.com/), or Wayne Pierce (http://www.companyphotographer.com/). They are wetplaters who may have historical info on the collodion formula used by Watkins. They did a wetplate gig together in Yosemite several years ago which I think retraced some of Watkins' journeys. Another source of such info might be John Coffer (http://johncoffer.com/) or Mark Osterman (http://collodion.org/) at the George Eastman house.

John Towler's 1864 manual, The Silver Sunbeam (http://albumen.stanford.edu/library/monographs/sunbeam/index.html) contains popular collodion formulas of the day as does Mathew Carey Lea's 1868 A Manual of Photography (http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=moa;idno=AEL5141.0001.001).

Are you about to join the Black Paw Club?

Joe

[sanking]

Sandy,

Are you about to join the Black Paw Club?

Joe

I have already had enough skin stains from silver nitrate to be eligible for honorary membership in the Black Paw Club!!

Sandy King

[Ted Harris]

Sandy, contact me via email. I've got a lot of info and access to more. In fact for the second edition of my book on "The History of the Conservation and Environment Movement in the United States" where I am adding an entire several hundred page section on the influence of art and photography I intend to include some never before printed Watkins plates from a stash I located.

[sanking]

Sandy, contact me via email. I've got a lot of info and access to more. In fact for the second edition of my book on "The History of the Conservation and Environment Movement in the United States" where I am adding an entire several hundred page section on the influence of art and photography I intend to include some never before printed Watkins plates from a stash I located.

Hi Ted,

Thanks. I will be in touch tomorrow.

Sandy

[steve simmons]

Watkins' prints were made using the Albuman process. I saw an exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art about 98 or 99 and was amazed at the quality of his work.

steve simmons

[Ole Tjugen]

I'd like to take this opportunity to mention http://collodion.com/ - AKA "The Black Paw Club". The forum there is an invaluable resource - unfortunately you will have to register by email before reading anything.

In my (admittedly limited) experience POP and Albumen prints are capable of a tonal reproduction that is only approached by Palladium.

[sanking]

I'd like to take this opportunity to mention http://collodion.com/ - AKA "The Black Paw Club". The forum there is an invaluable resource - unfortunately you will have to register by email before reading anything.

In my (admittedly limited) experience POP and Albumen prints are capable of a tonal reproduction that is only approached by Palladium.

You could add salted paper to that list along with POP and albumen. All have an exposure scale of around 2.5 or slightly higher. Carbon is actually capable of an even longer tonal range if you want to go there.

Sandy King

[sanking]

Watkins' prints were made using the Albuman process. I saw an exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art about 98 or 99 and was amazed at the quality of his work.

steve simmons



I too was amazed by the quality of his work. Photographers spend a lot of time debating the merits of lenses, developers, exposure systems, etc. However, the quality of Watkins' work in albumen, made almost 150 years ago from wet plate negatives with very uncorrected lenses (by our standards) does serve to point out the fact that in the end great work is achieved with work and vision.

Of course, his equipment was pretty much cutting edge for his time.

Sandy King

[David A. Goldfarb]

I saw the Watkins show at the Metropolitan Museum some years ago, which may have been the same one that Steve Simmons saw on the West Coast, and it was impressive indeed. I looked at the catalogue afterward and couldn't buy it for fear that it would contaminate my memory of the original prints.

One thing I've learned since taking up albumen printing is that its self-masking property makes it an ideal medium for landscapes.

[Vaughn]

I grew up with two Watkin prints in the house (about 16x20 -- a Yosemite Valley image and a two-steam locomotive image). Even as a child, it was hard to walk by those photos without taking a good look at them -- I wonder where my desire for LF came from? LOL! I still put them on the wall occasionally, though I do not keep them up on a permanent basis.

Vaughn

[sanking]

I grew up with two Watkin prints in the house (about 16x20 -- a Yosemite Valley image and a two-steam locomotive image). Even as a child, it was hard to walk by those photos without taking a good look at them -- I wonder where my desire for LF came from? LOL! I still put them on the wall occasionally, though I do not keep them up on a permanent basis.

Vaughn

Vaughn,

You actually own two real 16X20 Watkins prints?

You know, that could pay for the triplets college education!!

Sandy

[Vaughn]

I could not/would not sell them. They are tied into my own photography somehow.

They have no info written anywhere on them. Best guess is that they came from an album Wakins made -- removed and framed. One is a vertical of the Three Brothers taken from along the Merced River (having triplet boys makes it all that more special!).

Vaughn

[sanking]

I could not/would not sell them. They are tied into my own photography somehow.

They have no info written anywhere on them. Best guess is that they came from an album Wakins made -- removed and framed. One is a vertical of the Three Brothers taken from along the Merced River (having triplet boys makes it all that more special!).

Vaughn

Vaughn,

Fascinating. I would not be able to sell them either.

Best,

Sandy