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Thread: Wet Plate Enlarging History

  1. #1
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Wet Plate Enlarging History

    When did enlarging begin?

    A picture of a picture seems pretty obvious from here and now

    and inter-negatives

    as a collector of enlargers I wonder

    Soon it was used on Copy Cameras for science

    The very high resolution of wet plate allowed magnification and extreme reductions of data

    and now I read in my new book that by 1853 wet plate was being used for micro printing documents on tiny bits, by 1870 attached as Pigeon Post into Paris during war

    Scientists also used very thin emulsions for better resolution
    Tin Can

  2. #2
    Mark Sawyer's Avatar
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    Re: Wet Plate Enlarging History

    David A. Woodward patented the first "solar Enlarger" in 1857. It was successful enough that he soon had a fair amount of competition.

    "In 1857 Woodward patented the first widely successful photographic enlarging camera. He continued to make improvements to his solar camera in a series of patent renewals in the 1860s and 1870s. He became internationally recognized for his invention and in 1876 he was given an award at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. In the 1878 book How to Paint Photographs in our collection there is an ad for the Improved Solar Cameras by D.A. Woodward, Maryland Institute, Baltimore, Md."
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Screenshot (616).jpg  
    "I love my Verito lens, but I always have to sharpen everything in Photoshop..."

  3. #3
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: Wet Plate Enlarging History

    The Solar brand extended into late last century as I have seen a few small enlargers with the name. I don't have any.

    Here is a good paper on Solar Enlarging methods

    Article: The Technology of Solar Enlargements
    Author(s): Katharine Whitman
    Topics in Photographic Preservation, Volume 11.
    Pages: 104-110
    Compiler: Brenda Bernier
    © 2005, Photographic Materials Group of the American Institute for Conservation of
    Historic & Artistic Works. 1156 15th St. NW, Suite 320, Washington, DC 20005. (202)
    452-9545,
    www.aic-faic.org. Under a licensing agreement, individual authors retain
    copyright to their work and extend publication rights to the American Institute for
    Conservation.
    Tin Can

  4. #4
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: Wet Plate Enlarging History

    Ever heard of wet mounting drum and flat scanners...?

    nothing new under the Sun

    Below quote from this source:http://resources.culturalheritage.or...5_Albright.pdf

    [Article: A SHORT REVIEW OF CRAYON ENLARGEMENTS: HISTORY,
    TECHNIQUE, AND TREATMENT
    Author(s): Gary E. Albright and Michael K. Lee
    Topics in Photographic Preservation, Volume 3.
    Pages: 28-36
    Compiler: Robin E. Siegel
    © 1989, Photographic Materials Group of the American Institute for Conservation of
    Historic & Artistic Works. 1156 15th St. NW, Suite 320, Washington, DC 20005. (202)
    452-9545, www.aic-faic.org. Under a licensing agreement, individual authors retain
    copyright to their work and extend publication rights to the American Institute for
    Conservation. ]


    "One rather ingenious idea
    formed a well of glycerine between the negative and a cover
    glass, using India rubber to seal the sides. "The glycerine
    coming in contact with the retouching obliterates all marks of
    the pencil and makes it more transparent, and the result is a
    fine, soft photograph, full of detail and roundness, often
    surpassing the contact-print" (8). After printing, the assembly
    was taken apart and the glycerine washed off. The negative was
    then ready for contact printing again. "
    Tin Can

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