I think it would be helpful to further define Pictorial(ism) by comparing the optics manufactured during the span of years were discussing and the processes the Pictorialist used -- gum, platinum, carbon, etc. would be helpful to track through time as well. Above all the processes, I think gum lent itself to an expressive surface and image. Who was the first to popularize the use of such a painterly emulsion?
I've learned a huge amount about older optics here and I haven't really gotten academic about the research of the lenses, but I know some of those here have Kingslake and other sources of information about lenses. I suspect there are histories of the processes, perhaps not contained in a single source.
Inquiring minds want to know
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