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Platinum Print Photography:
At the dawn of the twentieth century, a dedicated cadre of American photographers sought to distance their creative practice from the formulaic output of the nation's commercial photography studios. By using a variety of techniques to produce highly expressive works, these camera artists strove to win recognition for photography as a fine art medium. Inspired by the example of avant garde photographer Alfred Stieglitz, they achieved evocative results by softening their cameras' focus and adding handwork to their negatives or prints. These innovative photographers also rejected ordinary gelatin silver prints in favor of less common printing mediums such as the platinum print.
The image in a platinum print is formed within the fibers of the paper, rather than in a glossy emulsion on its surface. The printing paper is sensitized to light by the application of a solution of salts of iron and platinum. After exposure through a negative, it is developed chemically via a process that removes the iron salts and transforms the platinum salts into platinum medal. Characterized by its wide tonal range and matte surface, a platinum print's appearance can be altered by various methods, including secondary processing or the application of wax of chemical toners. Platinum printing remained popular until the close of World War I, when a sharp rise in the cost of platinum made the process prohibitively expensive. |