ansco convira paper

**Raymond Bleesz** · 1-Mar-1998, 20:11

an open question regarding ansco convira paper, 10x20 b glossy. i have a large quantity of this paper, in its original wax coated military wrappings,untouched, dated 1947 which is younger than i am.

does anyone know of this papers original purpose, etc. the paper was made in '47 in binghamton, n.y.. it is single weight #4. i also have the order no., contract no., and stock no..

as a histographer myself, i have not run across this material in my research. it is a good 64,0000 dollar photo question.

**chris hale** · 2-Mar-1998, 05:22

Do you suppose that this paper was intended for printing stereo pairs from the 1 0" square aerial stereo pairs? It would then carry two images with the right sp acing for the wartime mirror stereoscopes. The contrast (#4) seems to be fairly high for normal use but would probably be ideal for enhancement of small detail s lost in the generally low contrast atmospheric haze. ...just a plausible guess . Good luck with your quest. CJH

**Randy Libersky** · 17-Jun-2005, 15:53

Do you still have this paper? Are you looking to get rid of it?

**kthompson** · 17-Jun-2005, 16:16

convira was a contact paper. your guess is as good as mine what it used for in that size, but my bet is on printing cirkut negs.

**Mark Sawyer** · 17-Jun-2005, 17:23

Older aerial cameras (mostly military) in a 9x18 format are not unusual, though I'm not sure what dates they were manufactured. Could be for that. There were also 10x10's side-by-side in stereo, as Chris mentioned.

Regarding the 1947 date, that may have been the expiration date, so it could be a few years older. (Maybe instead of birthdates, photographers should come with expiration dates. I may be out-of-date already, as I already show some loss of speed and fogging...)

**Wayne** · 17-Jun-2005, 19:38

I came across a 500 pack of Agfa Contactone (similar to Convira I believe) a few years ago at the rental darkroom I was using. The manager allowed me to use it but wouldnt allow me to take it with me when I stopped printing there. It was 1950's vintage IIRC, and it was a slow paper ( fast by contact standards) so it was still in fair shape. It had a nice cold tone and printed pretty well. If you dont particularly want the the Convira I will gladly pay for its shipping to me. I like messing around with old stuff that is probably worthless.