When did selenium become popular

[miha]

Ian, it seems Peter Goldfield of Goldfinger imported and popularised KRST (among other things) in the UK. In his Craftbook from 1983 (there are also earlier editions of the book) he talks about it on page 55.

 

[Ian Grant]

Peter had worked with Minor White in the US after qualifying as a pharmacist, he had a deep knowledge of photography. I have a signed copy of his craftbook

Ian

 

[Mike Crawford]

Both these involved the same circle of photographers who themselves had links with the US workshop circle including Minor White & Paul Cpenegro. An article in Ten8 magazine, "Where the Wild things went" discussed the British disciples of Minor White, most were photography lecturers many heads of department at the time or later and that included John Blakemore, Paul Hill, John Davies, Thomas Joshua Cooper etc all still working today.

Ian
Sounds an interesting article. You wouldn't have a date or issue number for the Ten8 article so can check it out when next in the Art Library?
Ta
Mike

 

[miha]

Peter had worked with Minor White in the US after qualifying as a pharmacist, he had a deep knowledge of photography. I have a signed copy of his craftbook

Ian

The book (unsigned though ) can be found on Silverprint site as a .pdf document.

 

[Ian Grant]

Ian
Sounds an interesting article. You wouldn't have a date or issue number for the Ten8 article so can check it out when next in the Art Library?
Ta
Mike

I copied the article while doing my MA so you can have a copy I came across over the weekend. The Ten8 issue was called Rural Myths, I have an earler Ten8 landscape issue as well that has early Thomas Joshua Cooper, Richard Adler, John Blakemore etc work in it, possibly Pail Hill as well. The two issues show the evolution of British post war landscape photography quite well

Even Fay Godwin went on a Paul Hill workshop when she was moving from portraits to Landscape, I may remember who was the visitingphotographer - she did tell me once.

Ian

 

[Mike Crawford]

I copied the article while doing my MA so you can have a copy I came across over the weekend. The Ten8 issue was called Rural Myths, I have an earler Ten8 landscape issue as well that has early Thomas Joshua Cooper, Richard Adler, John Blakemore etc work in it, possibly Pail Hill as well. The two issues show the evolution of British post war landscape photography quite well

Even Fay Godwin went on a Paul Hill workshop when she was moving from portraits to Landscape, I may remember who was the visitingphotographer - she did tell me once.

Ian

Nice one.
PM sent!

 

[David Allen]

Hi Miya, of course it was the total impact of the exhibition. However, you could really see that some of the photographer's work had an extra 'something'. As I already have stated, I was familiar with the effects of selenium from 1972 because of my father's courses, but I well remember that, during my multiple visits to the exhibition, how many people asked out loud "how do they get their prints to look like that". You have to remember that, in the UK at that time, people's prints were either long-scale grey of a type typical of the old guard of the Royal Photographic Society or 'soot and whitewash' high impact and contrasty prints heavily influenced by the eastern European photographers entering work (using Orwo, etc) in the international salons.

Best,

David
www.dsallen.de

 

[miha]

Thanks for clarifying further, David. And since I'm Slovenian, I'm familiar with the gritty style of the East (and I quite like it )

 

[David Allen]

Thanks for clarifying further, David. And since I'm Slovenian, I'm familiar with the gritty style of the East (and I quite like it )

For the right work - me too!

I personally like my work to look contrasty but with detail throughout.

Although very different from my work, I very much like the work of Mario Giacomelli.

Best,

David
www.dsallen.de

 

[Ian C]

Although this doesn’t answer the original question, “When did selenium toning of prints become popular?” the following articles indicate that selenium has apparently been used to tone prints at least as far back as 1922 to alter contrast and color.

Selenium print toning was discussed 90 years ago in the 1922 Photographic Journal of America in the collection of Harvard University of Boston. It is discussed on page 367 and again in more detail on page 451-452.

It was apparently a fairly new idea at the time as evidenced by the comment on page 451

“Of these new toning processes, the latest presented is that of the selenium compounds which theoretically as well as practically are of considerable interest, and so at present occupy much attention.”

http://books.google.com/books?id=Sf...=onepage&q=history of selenium toning&f=false

Although the articles focus on selenium toning for color change, the last two paragraphs on page 452 predict that selenium toning is likely a permanent process that won’t hurt the longevity of prints.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

i think it was ansel adams who promoted it heavily,and his sudentsevangalized his messages further.

 

[miha]

Although this doesn’t answer the original question, “When did selenium toning of prints become popular?” the following articles indicate that selenium has apparently been used to tone prints at least as far back as 1922 to alter contrast and color.

Selenium print toning was discussed 90 years ago in the 1922 Photographic Journal of America in the collection of Harvard University of Boston. It is discussed on page 367 and again in more detail on page 451-452.

It was apparently a fairly new idea at the time as evidenced by the comment on page 451

“Of these new toning processes, the latest presented is that of the selenium compounds which theoretically as well as practically are of considerable interest, and so at present occupy much attention.”

http://books.google.com/books?id=Sf...=onepage&q=history of selenium toning&f=false

Although the articles focus on selenium toning for color change, the last two paragraphs on page 452 predict that selenium toning is likely a permanent process that won’t hurt the longevity of prints.

Thanks Ian, most interesting! It seems it took several decades before it became known in Europe as well.

 

[miha]

i think it was ansel adams who promoted it heavily,and his sudentsevangalized his messages further.

No doubt about it. Hi was probably the most influential printers of all times.
Ralph, since you are German, you might be able to tell us what was the stand of the Becher school on toning?