Period correct 8 x 10 print techniques and help

[Craig Fransen]

Thanks so much. I was hoping to find some people with a passion for printing and these seem to fit the bill. The thought of diving into the challenge of replicating some of the technology with the help of experts is exciting to me.

I have collected a few images from prints, but now will concentrate on obtaining the physical prints themselves.

Here's one I bought yesterday. This is from Bushnell Seattle. Cory Addison Bushnell was involved in the studios in Seattle, Portland, and Wenatchee or someplace. I have not, though, found the tie-in (if any) with the well-known Bushnell Studio in San Francisco.

Armed with the customer names at the top of many of the negatives and knowledge of the place and time (Portland, 1915-30), I've spent a few hours on Ancestry.com, city directories, and google searches and have tracked down who some of these people were and their descendants. I was able to make prints for them. They were amazed that I had found them and these images of their families. Most had never seen the pictures before, although I did find one woman who had that very print on her dresser.

[Craig Fransen]

Any paper should be fine. I'd use multigrade paper, out of practicality, since you were not in control of the development of the negatives. Standard processing of the paper prints. Nothing new since then. I'd take maybe the best five and enlarge them to 16x20.

Absolutely going to make some enlargements, analog or digital, in addition to contact prints. I've scanned the negatives at a decent resolution on an Epson V850 (600 dpi). The fact that these were studio images helps to explain the quality and detail, but I'm amazed by it.

[Monty McCutchen]

Wonderful work you are doing. I hope it continues to be so Craig.

Thanks so much. I was hoping to find some people with a passion for printing and these seem to fit the bill. The thought of diving into the challenge of replicating some of the technology with the help of experts is exciting to me.

I have collected a few images from prints, but now will concentrate on obtaining the physical prints themselves.

Here's one I bought yesterday. This is from Bushnell Seattle. Cory Addison Bushnell was involved in the studios in Seattle, Portland, and Wenatchee or someplace. I have not, though, found the tie-in (if any) with the well-known Bushnell Studio in San Francisco.

Armed with the customer names at the top of many of the negatives and knowledge of the place and time (Portland, 1915-30), I've spent a few hours on Ancestry.com, city directories, and google searches and have tracked down who some of these people were and their descendants. I was able to make prints for them. They were amazed that I had found them and these images of their families. Most had never seen the pictures before, although I did find one woman who had that very print on her dresser.

[Craig Fransen]

Here's an example of one kind of retouching–simply scratching around on the surface. I think it produces a sharpened look.

[Jim Noel]

When I began printing in the mid 1930's, the number of coated silver papers available was truly amazing. I don't remember seeing a portrait that wasn't printed on a textured warm tone paper. I still have a few from that era some of which are hand tinted (beautiful).
As I view them , none of todays warm tone papers come close to those of the past. I think the best solution is to learn to make palladium prints. The warmth is there if developed in appropriate developer. I used Ammonium Citrate developer until I finally quit making prints last year because of advancing age. Any good quality 100% cotton watercolor paper works well for this process. Just find the one with the slight texture you like.
I taught this process for many years, but no longer do so.
Another printing process which yields beautiful warm tone prints is salted paper. Same papers are used, but the process is much cheaper.
The Van Dyke process also produces nice warm tone prints, uses same papers, is low cost and easy to learn, but most students I had over the years had great trouble keeping the color light rather than dense.
Good luck!

[jp]

If you use a hand coated paper like Jim suggests, please put a sheet of mylar between the paper and negative. Otherwise some chemicals might make their way to the negative if things are not perfectly dried in preparation, and perfectly dry is not always wanted. pt prints would be pre-wwI, pd prints wwI and after. Silver prints any vintage. pt / pd papers were commercially available products back in the day, but are only handmade now.

[Drew Wiley]

I did a fair amount of retro look printing of old negs at one time. There was a selection of silver gelatin papers well accommodated to the look, and clients were pleased. I haven't had an incentive to try any current potential papers. But an awful lot of relevant experimentation could be done with current warmtone silver papers without going through the more difficult learning curve and severe expense of UV processes lile Pt/Pd. As far as the results go versus inkjet prints, I believe darkroom workflow accommodates toning effects far better, and in a much more nuanced manner, than common digital output. I'd lends a lot more vintage authenticity look, provided the negatives you have on hand are still in good condition (dealing with messed up originals is easier in digital workflow).

[Vaughn]

Platinum/palladium printing is also what first crossed my mind. WWI cut the supply of platinum from Russia and stopped the production of commercially available platinum paper.
I have been making pt/pd prints for 25+ years -- never had a negative damaged by the coated paper (including giving student workshops at uni)...pretty safe. One does not coat an excess of platinum solution! Costs too much.

[Craig Fransen]

... provided the negatives you have on hand are still in good condition (dealing with messed up originals is easier in digital workflow).

These negatives range in condition from pristine to obliterated, luckily most in an "ok" category. There would be many aims in displaying these images–only one of which might be to create perfect prints, adjusting, fixing, etc. But there will be nothing wrong with showing some with their flaws. These things were stored in crates in a barn. Luckily most of the mold and dings are toward the edges. Some, like attached, got nailed right in the middle. I'm thinking that AI could help to recognize and fix flaws like as shown.

I could argue that an artistic statement might result from seeing the underlying quality through the ravages of time.

[ic-racer]

When I began printing in the mid 1930's...

Happy belated 100th birthday!