Gravestone Portraits

BobUK · Jun 28, 2022

At a funeral recently, I noticed a few gravestones having a small photographic portrait in a frame permanently attached to the headstone.
I thought it bad form to wander off and have a closer look at the time.
From what I could see some of the colour portraits were over thirty years old and had not faded at all in the bright light of day.
Does anyone know what process is used for these portraits ?

AgX · Jun 28, 2022

Various techniques can be applied. The classic one is a photoenamel where a pigment image is melted onto the enamel. But a imagewise etching of a stone is possible too.

jay moussy · Jun 28, 2022

I have seen these on old tombstones in cemeteries in France and (maybe more so) in Italy. Many were quite elegant.
Oval shaped, bulbous, with a metal border or decorated frame, sometimes military officers in full uniform. I see some modern ones are color, not sure about the look though?

Modern: this man laminates a print to ceramic piece, applies clear glaze and fire it just like with a mug or such:

Looks a bit low-grade.

gone · Jun 28, 2022

We saw those back in the 80's in Colma, Ca, which is basically a city of cemeteries. It seemed pretty strange even then. We were out there taking rubbings of the few stand up grave stones available. Most of their graves had only a flat marker on the ground, and the ground was also flat.

Nothing like the cemeteries in New Orleans.

Sirius Glass · Jun 28, 2022

momus said:
We saw those back in the 80's in Colma, Ca, which is basically a city of cemeteries. It seemed pretty strange even then. We were out there taking rubbings of the few stand up grave stones available. Most of their graves had only a flat marker on the ground, and the ground was also flat.

Nothing like the cemeteries in New Orleans.

The even film movies there. Many movies including Easy Rider.

BAC1967 · Jun 28, 2022

momus said:
We saw those back in the 80's in Colma, Ca, which is basically a city of cemeteries. It seemed pretty strange even then. We were out there taking rubbings of the few stand up grave stones available. Most of their graves had only a flat marker on the ground, and the ground was also flat.

Nothing like the cemeteries in New Orleans.

There's a reason those cemeteries are like that in New Orleans but it's expensive to be interned there. When I was working on the Hurricane Katrina cleanup we had a staging area next to a grave yard in Old Gentilly where they bury people under ground. They had to re-bury a lot of them after it flooded.

mooseontheloose · Jul 4, 2022

As some of you may know, I spend a lot of time visiting cemeteries, mostly on my travels (my stoneanddust blog linked below is dedicated to them, although I haven't updated it in a while). I have often noticed these portraits in European cemeteries but never photographed them until more recently. I too have been really interested in the process - photos appear from the late 19th century to current markers. Some seem more resilient to the elements than others in terms of colour fading or change.

I did a quick look on my phone to find some examples, most of these are from Italy with the dog portrait from the pet cemetery in Paris.

AgX · Jul 4, 2022

That is a rather regional phenomenon. I never encountered such on any cemetery in my vicinity. But from media know I that is common in other regions of Europe. But with photos all around I expect it to grow.

awty · Jul 4, 2022

That is cool. Im going to start working on mine.

koraks · Jul 4, 2022

It's reasonably common in The Netherlands, at least the southern half. That is to say, I estimate that perhaps 5% of the graves have a photo, but the practice seems to have been more common in the period 1900 through the 1980s.

I recall having read somewhere that the B&W photos were sometimes carbon transfers that were consecutively baked in a glazing process, but I'm not sure of this, nor of where I read it.

pentaxuser · Jul 4, 2022

Interesting video from jay moussy. I presume that there was no equivalent process in the pre-digital days of film and darkroom or was there and if so what was it?

Thanks

pentaxuser

BobUK · Jul 4, 2022

I like the photographs from mooseontheloose

They have a sort of genteel class to them when compared to some of the more brash photographs I have seen occasionally on modern memorials.

The one of the dead infant is a bit jarring these days.
I have a picture taken of my great grandfather after death, the eyes were painted on using a relative for the sitter.
The family although not wealthy by any means only realised after his death that they had no photograph of him.
I am not sure, but I think the photographs of deceased relatives are call Mort Mori.
An interesting subject on it's own.

Thank you all for some interesting information.

mooseontheloose · Jul 4, 2022

BobUK said:
I like the photographs from mooseontheloose

They have a sort of genteel class to them when compared to some of the more brash photographs I have seen occasionally on modern memorials.

The one of the dead infant is a bit jarring these days.
I have a picture taken of my great grandfather after death, the eyes were painted on using a relative for the sitter.
The family although not wealthy by any means only realised after his death that they had no photograph of him.
I am not sure, but I think the photographs of deceased relatives are call Mort Mori.
An interesting subject on it's own.

Thank you all for some interesting information.

I think for many, especially in the late 19th/early 20th century, the death portrait is the only photograph of that person. I have a small collection of them from my cemetery explorations. I know in my hometown many people (including my parents) almost always photograph the deceased if there's an open casket at the funeral, which I always found a little strange growing up, but then I realized copies of those photos would be sent to relatives who couldn't attend the funeral. I've certainly received a few over the years while living here in Japan.

Of course now any portraits that appear on gravestones tend to be etched right onto the stone - my parents already have theirs up and ready to go, which was a bit disconcerting the first time I saw it, but then I started thinking about what I wanted on mine (ideally me with my Rolleiflex) and realizing that being prepared ahead of time means you have more control over your final resting place (if you have one) - my parents bought me a plot next to theirs many years ago which was a little upsetting to me at the time, but I now I find some comfort in it. [FWIW, my father has been an integral part of our church's cemetery committee for over 30 years, basically restored and upgraded the cemetery from an overgrown field to one of the nicest in the entire region. He's had to deal with the buying and selling of plots to parishioners there for years and knows that it's better to buy plots ahead of time, especially if you want family to be together, since so many issues arise in a place with limited space and very large families].

mooseontheloose · Jul 4, 2022

I have a few sites linked about cemetery photos. The best one is a post called "Enamel Photography" which goes into detail about the different processes over the years. There are some how-to methods listed at the end of the article on different ways to do this technique, including chemicals needed and other equipment, hazards, and other information.

For our purposes, here is some relevant information from the article, mostly focusing on how it started and developed over the years:

The first to recognize the necessity of firing the image in a furnace or kiln to fix it permanently to enamel or porcelain were two French photographers, Bulot and Cattin. Their method of fixing, vitrifying, and coloring photographic images taken by Collodion process (which had been transferred) upon enamel, metal, stone, porcelain, glass, china, and all kinds of earthen ware was patented in England on December 13, 1854. Their pictures were to be fired in a furnace after they had been colored, if so desired.

The most famous of the comparatively few producers of enamel photographs was Lafond de Camarsac (1821-1905), a Parisian photographer who brought photographic enamel miniatures to perfection, rivalling the finest ceramic paintings. They were compared with Sèvres porcelain paintings, and earned him a gold medal at the International Exhibition in Paris, 1867.
It was then said his total output to date was no fewer than 15,000 enamel photographs.

On June 11, 1855, de Camarsac described two processes to the Academie des Sciences. For monochrome photos he made a collodion positive portrait on glass, toned it with gold or platinum chloride (to eliminate the yellow stain produced by silver), stripped it from its support and carefully transferred it to the slightly curved enameled copper plate. The picture was fired to destroy the collodion film and “burn-in” the image. A thin layer of flux was fired on top of the picture.

For colored enamel photographs he coated a white enameled copper plate with a solution of bitumen of Judea and turpentine, with the addition of black resin. He then laid-on the stripped collodion film and exposed. After dissolving the unchanged bitumen, the whole picture was colored by applying with a fine brush various vitrifiable pigments. The plate was gently heated and then fired to fix permanently the colors.

Alphonse Louis Poitevin conceived the idea of applying the dichromate process to the production of permanent prints, as well as to photolithography. In August 1855 he patented his first carbon process. He mixed powdered carbon in dichromated gelatin (or gum or other similar substances), spread it on paper, exposed it under a negative, and after washing, there remained a picture formed by the pigment contained in the insoluble parts of the gelatin, the thickness varying according to the density of the different parts of the negative. The pictures possessed deep blacks and masses of white without half tones. The problem was solved some nine years later and modified for application on enamel and glaze surfaces. A step by step procedure will be described later in this series.

A peculiar photochemical reaction of iron salts was discovered in 1858 by Henri Garnier and Alphonse Salmon. They observed that ferric citrate, exposed to light, changes its solubility and hygroscopic properties. They based on this the first dusting-on process, with which they produced prints on paper and on glass (apparently not fired-in). They stated that ferric citrate showed less solubility in water, or in water containing alcohol or glycerine, in the parts affected by light. The print was dusted with pine soot or other colored dry powder which adhered only to the unexposed tacky portions. The image was fixed by rinsing in water, during which the iron salt dissolved and the dusted-on powder adhered rather well to the paper. Finally, this carbon image was coated with a rubber solution.

In 1860 Poitevin invented a second carbon process. He made use of the hygroscopic property given by light to a coating of perchloride of iron and tartaric acid. If such a coating was exposed through a negative and powdered carbon (or other permanent pigment) then brushed on, it would adhere to those parts which had become sticky by exposure to light, in proportion to the action of light and consequent degree of stickiness. The image was then covered with a layer of collodion and soaked in water, until it detached from the unpolished glass on which it had been formed and was transferred to a sheet of paper. This carbon process gave excellent halftones.

After the publication of Poitevin’s second carbon process de Camarsac is said to have changed over to this. The picture was transferred from a glass plate on which it had been formed; onto the enamel surface to be fired in.

Several photographers, licensed or unlicensed, employed Poitevin’s method. One of his licensees was Mathieu Deroche of Paris (later of Milan) whose firm made colored enamel portraits until the turn of century. De Camarsac and Deroche were the best known specialists in this kind of work and executed orders for French and foreign photographers. Their enamel pictures were usually inscribed on the back: “Procédé Lafond de Camarsac (or Procédé Deroche)” with the name of the photographer who took the original portrait, the town, the date of the photograph, and the serial number.

F. Joubert, a French engraver living in London, took out a patent in January 1860 for a method of coating glass with ammonium dichromate, albumen and honey; when dry, a picture was printed on it from a transparent positive. The image was brought out by brushing over with powdered enamel color, which stuck only to the parts which had not been exposed to light and remained sticky. The picture was fixed with alcohol containing a little nitric or acetic acid, and washed in water until nothing remained on the glass but the enamel color. It was then fired in the furnace. He produced both black and white and hand tinted pictures using vitreous colors. He produced glass pictures as large as 24″ x 17œ”. We will describe, in detail, a similar process.

Poitevin’s first carbon process was improved and patented by J.W. Swan in 1864. In 1866 a ready made carbon tissue was marketed. This carbon tissue consisted of a film of gelatin, in which finely powered carbon was incorporated, spread on paper. The tissue was sensitized by the photographer with a solution of potassium dichromate and, when dry, exposed under a negative. The face of the carbon tissue was then attached to a paper support and soaked in hot water until the original backing paper of the carbon tissue could be detached, and the soluble gelatin was dissolved. As the picture was laterally reversed it had to be transferred a second time to its final support.

The English patent rights were acquired by the Autotype Printing and Publishing Company in London, in January 1868. Various pigments other than carbon were incorporated in the gelatin enabling the production of color prints in conjunction with separation negatives. A ceramic tissue was made by incorporating ceramic pigments in the gelatin. Both the carbon tissue for paper prints, and the ceramic tissue for photographs on enamel and glazed surfaces were sold well into the middle of the 20th century.

In 1893 J.A. Dedouch of Chicago, Illinois established his company to produce and market enamel photographs. Today, under third generation management, the company located in Oak Park, Illinois continues to grow. Apparently Mr. Dedouch developed his methods independently of European sources.

All text copyrighted to the original source in the link given above.

foc · Jul 4, 2022

pentaxuser said:
Interesting video from jay moussy. I presume that there was no equivalent process in the pre-digital days of film and darkroom or was there and if so what was it?

Thanks

pentaxuser

To my knowledge, the digital age version is fairly easy. The secret to the Ineqs system shown in the video is the ink/toner and the kiln firing. The ink/toner has to be lightfast to prevent fading and the firing at 870C seals the glaze. The same can't be achieved with a hot press and dye sublimation process, like online/retail mug printing, slate printing or cushion, etc printing. Direct sunlight will cause the image to fade.

In pre digital times, the process of preparing the image was different. As far as I can remember the process involved was something like this. A copy negative was made of the person and optically printed to the size required on silver halide paper. An artist would paint out the background and using special dyes hand colour the image to match the original. The front of the photo was laminated and then the back paper was pealed off, similar to how canvas prints were done in the pre digital age. It was then similar to the video, image transfered to blank plaque and glazed and fired.

jay moussy · Jul 4, 2022

@foc , ^^ nice research, thanks.

Was that the job of specialized photograph shops, or labs?
I remember seeing some hints of hand coloring and of course the doctored background to make the character stand.
This is maybe what is missing in the modern (color) ones, the editing craft, and... the visual power of B&W.
Wouldn't that be cool if there was a revival of the old style?

Sirius Glass · Jul 4, 2022

mooseontheloose said:
As some of you may know, I spend a lot of time visiting cemeteries, mostly on my travels (my stoneanddust blog linked below is dedicated to them, although I haven't updated it in a while). I have often noticed these portraits in European cemeteries but never photographed them until more recently. I too have been really interested in the process - photos appear from the late 19th century to current markers. Some seem more resilient to the elements than others in terms of colour fading or change.

I did a quick look on my phone to find some examples, most of these are from Italy with the dog portrait from the pet cemetery in Paris.

About 40 years ago, I was visiting a cemetery in Los Angeles that happened to have photographs on graves that were about 10 years old at the time. That would make them about 50 years old now.

pentaxuser · Jul 4, 2022

foc said:
In pre digital times, the process of preparing the image was different. As far as I can remember the process involved was something like this. A copy negative was made of the person and optically printed to the size required on silver halide paper. An artist would paint out the background and using special dyes hand colour the image to match the original. The front of the photo was laminated and then the back paper was pealed off, similar to how canvas prints were done in the pre digital age. It was then similar to the video, image transfered to blank plaque and glazed and fired.

Thanks foc. So if you had a b&w negative of whatever you wanted on , say a mug, could you simply print on darkroom paper at the appropriate size then laminate the front of the print then somehow peel the back paper off? How is this done and once done can the peeled surface be simply attached to the mug, glazed over then fired. What kind of glaze is needed?

Or have I largely misunderstood what is actually involved?

I recall Firstcall Photographic in the U.K. advertising a kit which seemed to be for transferring b&w darkroom prints to the likes of mugs but it was never clear to me which how this was achieved

pentaxuser

foc · Jul 4, 2022

@pentaxuser
I never did the old school image transfer myself, but I did prepare images onto colour photo paper (it was EP2 paper , the predecessor of RA4). This was the early 1980s. The copy neg print was then sent to another lab that specialised in the hand colouring and image transfer. Unfortunately, the guy at the lab that had all this knowledge has long passed away. The reason for laminating the front of the photo is to support the gelatine layers of the image.

The OP's video shows a spray glaze and other videos show the laminate being part of the glaze. I can only assume it is the same as the glaze a potter or ceramic artist would use. Of course this type of glaze needs a kiln to fire it. I can't see a home kit being able to replicate that.

I have seen some youtube videos showing the use of a clothes iron to heat the dye sublimation paper (digitally produced) onto a mug but it looks dangerous and I wouldn't recommend it.

pentaxuser · Jul 5, 2022

Thanks, foc. The bottom line seems to be that transferring pictures to the likes of ceramic mugs even were it possible for the home analogue enthusiast is way beyond reach

pentaxuser

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