Silverprint R.I.P ?

[Tom Kershaw]

Martin was working for Peter when Agfa suddenly decided to re-enter the market effectively destroying Goldfinger's business.

Had Agfa initially decided the UK market was too dominated by ILFORD and Kodak to compete?

 

[Ian Grant]

Had Agfa initially decided the UK market was too dominated by ILFORD and Kodak to compete?

In the mid 1970s there was a bit of a shake up in the UK, Ilford were consolidating, aside from their factory in Ilford and Basildon they also had a number of other factories as a result of mergers in the 1920s & 30s. They sold their Graphics and Medical side to Agfa Gevaert, essentially that meant the customer base and sales side, this was around 1975/6.

Agfa Gevaert used to advertise regularly in the BJP Annuals, the last advert I can find was 1971. I'm not sure when Agfa stopped importing B&W films and papers, etc I think probably around the same time as they bought the Graphic & medical side from Ilford. I'm not sure when Peter Goldfield set up Goldfinger but his first Craftbook was 1978.

There was a demand for different papers, Art Photography HND (later Degree) courses, like Derby and Trent, were on a roll in the mid to late 1970s here in the UK, and Peter was supplying Record Rapid papers etc. Ilford & Kodak papers were a bit bland, Ilfospeed had almost wiped out FB sales, Ilford realised a premium FB papers was needed and introduced Galerie in 1980

When Agfa began re-importing B&W films and papers again in 1984 they marketed them aggressively, along with their colour materials, with superb advertising, using images by Bob Carlos Clarke, many were in his book Dark Summer. This was backed up with some of the best datasheets and booklets of the manufacturers at that time.

Ian

 

[snusmumriken]

Ian, you are a living encyclopaedia! Have you thought of writing a full history of this kind of stuff?

 

[Ian Grant]

Ian, you are a living encyclopaedia! Have you thought of writing a full history of this kind of stuff?

I'd need to sift through my posts here and other forums. But I had some long conversations with people at Ilford through work in the early 1980s, and again after the management buy out. Not particularly about Ilford but the interweaving timelines, like Martin Reed telling me he worked for Hargreaves Photographic Supplies, and the Chairman of Ilford telling me that company had been part owned by Roy of RK Photographics father. It was once quite a tight-knit circle.

The truth is I don't forget anything to do with photography, that's going back to maybe 1968/9. It amazes me now that I was actually asked by my school to teach photography in 1970 aged 16, and that turned out to be 3 hour sessions once a week . . . . . . . .

Ian

 

[Agulliver]

That explains why Agfa Brovira paper suddenly appeared on the shelves around the time I started using my school dark room

 

[Jamie Gray]

I might have been one of the last customers, I needed a roll of colour Fujifilm and their price for Velvet was incredible. I ordered it and they quickly contacted me to say it was an old price and they need to update the list; Fujifilm had just bumped them up again. But they did help me source a decent roll of DPII gloss 24 inch wide, fresh from Fujifilm, and added a small discount onto it for the trouble I was having. I was looking forward to sourcing more Fujifilm paper from them as they seemed to be the only online retailer who could sell it. Now I don't know where to find it, other than ringing actual labs to see if they have any old stock they don't want. Real shame, good company.
I think the absolute bin-fire that has become the film market has not helped. Prices up, availability down. No company can sell something that doesn't exist and expect to keep running.

 

[Mike Crawford]

But they did help me source a decent roll of DPII gloss 24 inch wide, fresh from Fujifilm, and added a small discount onto it for the trouble I was having. I was looking forward to sourcing more Fujifilm paper from them as they seemed to be the only online retailer who could sell it. Now I don't know where to find it, other than ringing actual labs to see if they have any old stock they don't want.

Would always recommend Process Supplies. Imagine they are supplying a lot of colour labs with Fuji rolls. If you call them, they'll let you know straight away what's available. https://www.processuk.net/browse/cat740598_658864.aspx

 

[Jamie Gray]

Would always recommend Process Supplies. Imagine they are supplying a lot of colour labs with Fuji rolls. If you call them, they'll let you know straight away what's available. https://www.processuk.net/browse/cat740598_658864.aspx

Thanks Mike, yes will try them now.