EARLY PHOTOGRAPHIC LITERATURE

ABC of Modern Photography

comprising practical instruction in working

gelatine dry plates

WK Burton

The extracts below are taken from the 4th edition of this book, published in 1884.

The first three editions of this book soon sold out. They were possibly all published in 1883.

Gelatine Dry Plates

"We shall give instructions in printing, so as to enable the student to complete his picture.  In fact our desire is to produce a manual of photography for beginners, on the assumption that the gelatine process is now the photographic process of the day."    

[ABC: Page 4]

Plate Sizes

"In considering the plate to be worked, it must be borne in mind that the larger the plate the greater the weight to be carried into the field, the greater the difficulty of manipulation, and the heavier the expense at every turn.

This being the case, we suggest to our friends [the book was addressed to beginners], as a good size, that known as the 'half-plate'; that is, a plate measuring 6.5 inches by 4.75 inches.  This allows of pictures being taken of the popular cabinet size, and the apparatus necessary can very easily be manipulated in the field.

A somewhat larger size can easily be carried by an active man; but we recommend that, at any rate, nothing greater than 'whole-plate or 8.5 inches by 6.5 inches , be attempted.

The smallest size of plate commonly offered for sale is the 'quarter-plate' measuring 4.25 inches by 3.25 inches, and, as we have said, the beginner should confine himself to this size till he has become somewhat familiar with the different operations involved in the taking of a negative."

[ABC: Page 6]

Mix the Chemicals

Even with the arrival of the dry plate process, photography was not as simple as today.  The photographer of the 1880s was equipped with a chemical balance and a variety of chemicals.

ABC of Modern Photography suggested the equipment and chemicals required, adding:

"The system known as '"Apothecaries' weight" is adopted throughout this book because it is that most generally used for practical chemical and photographic work in this country.  It is unnecessary to say that the French decimal system is vastly superior."

"The chemicals required are as follows:

The photographer was instructed to make up the following:

[ABC: Pages 12,13, 17]

Expose the Plate

For a brightly lighted landscape at noon, using the usual view lens and rapid plates, an exposure of 5 seconds was suggested.

[ABC: Pages 27]

Develop the  Plate

The book gave the following steps for developing the plate:

-  Return to the dark room with the dark slide still wrapped in the cloth to protect from light.

-  Set out three dishes in the dark room:

-  Add half an ounce of sulphate of iron solution to two ounces of sulphate of iron solution.  This produces a ruby red colour.  Add 40 minims of the 1 per cent solution of bromide of ammonium.  This is to be poured into Dish No 1 after the plate has been placed in this dish.

-  Pour 3 ounces of alum solution into Dish No 2

-  Pour 3 ounces of the "fixing" or "hyposulphite" solution into Dish No 3.

-  Extinguish the white light and lower the red light.

-  Place the plate face-up in Dish No 1, and pour the solution prepared above rapidly but gently over the plate.  Continue to rock the dish, and the image should begin to appear after 10 to 20 seconds.

-  If the exposure was correct, the plate will probably need to remain in the developer for between 2 and 5 minutes.  To discover when the plate has been sufficiently developed, turn the red light up pretty high, then hold the plate, for a second only, close to the light.  If the densest parts appear almost but not quite opaque, the plate no further development is required.

-  Rinse the plate under the tap.

-  Lay the plate for five minutes in the alum solution to harden the gelatine film.

-  Rinse thoroughly.

-  Place in the fixing solution.  This will cause the whiteness, that can be seen when the plate is viewed from the back, to gradually vanish.  After it has vanished, continue to fix for a few more minutes.

-  Wash thoroughly, for at least half an hour under running water, or give frequent changes of water.

-  Rear the plate up on edge to dry.  On no account should any heat be used to dry it.

[ABC: Pages 28-32]

Other Topics

The remaining chapters of the book gave advice on:

-  Lenses

-  The Management of the Camera in the Field

-  Instantaneous Photography

-  Portraiture

-  Defects and Remedies  The headings in this chapter are:

-  General Fog

-  Light Fog

-  Green Fog

-  Red Fog,

-  Frilling

-  Want of Density or Flatness of Image

-  Too great Density of Image

-  Small Transparent Spots with irregular outlines

-  A Yellow Veil

-  A Yellow Fog

-  Unequal Thickness of Film

-  Various Streaks and Scratches

-  A White Powdery Deposit

-  Irregular Action of the Developer

-  Halation

-  Solarisation or Reversal of the Image

-  Tables to facilitate judgment of Exposure

-  Second Lesson in Development

-  Intensification of the Negative

-  Varnishing

-  Printing and Toning with Ready Sensitized Paper

-  Sensitizing Albumenized Paper

-  The Platinum Process

-  Transparencies on Gelatino-Chloride Plates

WK Burton did not recommend that photographers try to make their own dry plates.  However, he gave advice for those who wished to try:

-  Manufacture of Gelatine Emulsion

-  Preparing the Glass;  Coating it;  Drying and Packing Plates

 [ABC of Modern Photography]

Several adverts for Dry Plates appeared at the end of ABC of Modern Photography: