PflOTOGEAPIiYl 



MAKING PHOTOGRAPHS IN COLORS. 



BY J. C. ABEL. 



The fascination of obtaining photographs 

 of natural objects and scenes in the colors of 

 nature has always exerted a great influence 

 on the ingenuity and skill of the leading 

 photographic chemists and experts of this 

 and other countries. The processes that have 

 been evolved, and the claims that have been 

 put forward are legion, but true color pho- 

 tography, as the average photographer inter- 

 prets the words, is as much a will-o'-the-wisp 

 as ever. Like the alchemist of other ages, 

 with his transmutation of baser metals into 

 gold, the scientist of this era is endeavoring 

 to turn the monotone of the photographic 

 print and negative into the bright but elusive 

 colors of the rainbow, but, with this differ- 

 ence, that there is every prospect of eventual 

 success. 



We have today processes of considerable 

 complication by which prints in color can be 

 obtained, but these call for the use of special 

 apparatus and extreme skill, and generally 

 the use of three negatives, or else are made 

 with different colored screens placed before 

 the lens or plate. Even the merest mention 

 of the various methods would fill a book the 

 size of this magazine, but latterly there has 

 been placed on the market a process which, 

 while it is a long way from true color pho- 

 tography, enables even the beginner to obtain 

 with considerable ease a semblance of those 

 colors which appear to him on his ground 

 glass. 



This process requires neither special cam- 

 eras nor special apparatus of any kind, nor 

 does it call for more skill than is required 

 to make a good print with any photographic 

 printing process. The requirements are a 

 strong, cuntrasty landscape negative, a sup- 

 ply of the prepared paper called "Color- 

 printe," the necessary sensitizing chemicals, 

 consisting of neutralized bichromate of pot- 

 ash, a rubber roller or squeegee, a large glass 

 or zinc plate, some blotting-paper, a couple 

 of good-sized trays, porcelain, glass or zinc, 

 such as used for carbon work, and some 

 "transfer paper," as it is called, which comes 

 in each package of prepared paper. Expert 

 workers will recognize in these requirements 

 a certain similarity to the carbon process, and, 

 in truth, that new process is a glorified car- 

 bon process, and consequently should have no 

 terrors for the carbon worker. The prepared 

 paper, which is obtainable almost anywhere, 



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is the invention of an Austrian officer and a 

 German chemist, and consists of nine coat- 

 ings or films of color ranging from light blue 

 to dark green, and including yellows, browns 

 and reds superimposed in a certain order on 

 a sheet of paper. An examination of a piece 

 of "Colorprinte" would fail to disclose these 

 coatings, the only color visible being the black 

 surface; but they are there just the same. 



The idea back of the process is that these 

 varying layers of color offer varying resist- 

 ances to the rays of light that pass through 

 the negative. The sky portion of the nega- 

 tive is usually so dense that only a small 

 amount of light passes through to affect the 

 paper. On ordinary papers this produces 

 bald-headed or white skies; on "Colorprinte" 

 the effect is that only the top layer of color 

 — light blue — is reached and made insoluble, 

 producing a blue sky. The result, then, ot 

 light passing through the various densities 

 of the negative is to affect the various layers 

 of color, so that the green foliage of trees, 

 the brown surfaces of roads, etc., etc., is 

 brought out in approximately the colors of 

 nature. Strong reds are unfortunately lack- 

 ing at present, but with nine colors a fairly 

 large range of tone is obtainable, and the re- 

 sults are certainly most pleasing after a long 

 course of monotone work. Photographers 

 are apt to be sceptical on the question of 

 color, but the process mentioned is capable 

 of a great deal more than many gave it credit 

 for at first. The tints can be changed almost 

 at will by subsequent chemical manipulation ; 

 for instance, bright reds can be obtained by 

 the local application of a solution of caustic 

 potash and so on. With this power in the 

 hands of a skilled worker, any missing tone 

 can be supplied. Strong, well-developed neg- 

 atives make the best prints. If thin, they must 

 be varnished with ruby or other preparation; 

 otherwise we shall fail to obtain the colors 

 in their right places. An ortho-chromatic 

 plate, which has a greater and truer range of 

 densities, is naturally the best. The one 

 drawback is that only landscapes devoid of 

 life, or figures unless very small or inconspic^ 

 uous, can be made at present. This is due to 

 the lack of reds; but it will not be long be- 

 fore a special paper for portrait work will 

 be obtainable. Meanwhile, we commend the 

 process to our amateur friends of an inves- 

 tigating turn of mind. The few initial diffi- 

 culties are easily overcome, and the pleasure 

 to the unprejudiced mind is great. 



