Carbon Print

Harriet Farnie and Miss Farnie with a Sleeping Puppy, Brownie

Robert Adamson, David Octavius Hill
1920 (original negative around 1845)

Accession no. PGP HA 390
Medium Carbon print
Size 15.40 x 20.20 cm
Credit Elliot Collection, bequeathed 1950

The Carbon Print Process

Introduction:

The carbon print process came out of the desire to make more permanent images.  Other processes, like calotypes or daguerreotypes, had already begun to show signs of fading if not handled correctly. Photographers and publishers were also looking for better ways to publish photographs. Because carbon printing did not use the metals or chemicals other processes did, they were very stable and did not deteriorate. Time has only confirmed this. Though the process fell out of favor in the 1930's, it is still in use in a small way today.

History:

 Although Sir Joseph William Swan, an English citizen, secured the patent for the carbon print process in 1864, he was working off of discoveries made even earlier. Alphonse Poitevin is given credit for introducing photographic printing using dichromated pigment as early as 1855. However, it is Swan who gets the credit for the process as a whole and who, in 1866, began marketing the ready made carbon tissue in three tones: black, sepia, and purple-brown. The U.S. acquired the rights to the patent in 1867, though it remained far more popular in England and Europe than it ever was in the United States. The process was used regularly until the 1930s. Today, although there are photographers who use the carbon print process, the carbon tissue used to make the prints is no longer commercially available, and hasn't been since the 1980s.

Adolphe Braun, Alsace. Carbon print. Boston Athenaeum

Characteristics:

Carbon printing is known for its wide range of tones and rich shadows. Because carbon prints can use any color and can be mounted on almost any support, they are often be mistaken for other processes, like platinum prints. However, they are most commonly confused with woodburytypes. Due to the nature of the process, the carbon print can sometimes be identified by the slight bas-relief from the support.

Process:

The carbon print process begins with the carbon tissue, a piece of paper that has been treated with pigments in gelatin. In the beginning, the pigment was powdered carbon, like lampblack (aka soot), hence the name "carbon print." The negative would be placed in contact with the tissue and then exposed to ultraviolet light. The gelatin would harden in proportion to how much light exposure it got. Sections of the gelatin that were fully exposed to light would harden completely and become insoluble, whereas sections that were not exposed at all would remain soluble. The surface of the gelatin would then be transferred to a support. The photographers would wash the support gently in warm water and the soluble sections would wash away. The gelatin would lift cleanly off the support, leaving a developed image behind.

In the above process, known as the single transfer, the image would be laterally reversed. However, photographers could correct that by using the double transfer variation. In double transfer, the exposed tissue is first developed on a temporary surface (like plastic or vinyl) before being transferred to a final support.

There are numerous advantages to Carbon prints. They have been found to be extremely versatile in terms of mounting. Carbon prints can be found on a variety of supports, such as glass, paper, leather, wood, and metal. And although they are usually found in black-and-white and sepia tones, it is is a process to which color can be added using pigmented gelatin. However it is a long and demanding process to get a full color range.

There are some disadvantages to the carbon print process, too. For starters, it requires a very strong light source that most amatures don't have available. Also, handling the carbon can be extremely messy; it is as fine as cigarette smoke and difficult to weigh. Lastly, it is a time-consuming process.

 

 

Links:

If, however, you are still interested in making your very own carbon print -- or if you just want more detail into how it is done nowadays, these links could be very helpful:
The Bostick and Sullivan Book of Modern Carbon Printing
The Carbon Transfer Process

Sources:

Coe, Brian and Mark Haworth-Booth. A Guide to Early Photographic Processes. England: The Westerham Press, 1983. Print.

King, Sandy. "The Carbon Transfer Process." Alternative Photography. n.p., 29 Nov. 2002. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

Ritzenthaler, Mary Lynn, et al. Photographs: Archival Care and Management. Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 2006. Print.

Shoppman, Jim. "Carbon Printing - Theory." Angelic Images. n.p., 5 Aug. 2003. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

Sullivan, Dick. The Bostick and Sullivan Book of Modern Carbon Printing. Sante Fe: The Bostick and Sullivan Press, 2007. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.

Welling, William. Collector's Guide to Nineteenth-Century Photographs. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1976.

Picture Sources:
King, Sandy, and Mike Robinson and Sam Wang. "The Carbon Transfer Process." Alternative Photography. n.p., 29 Nov. 2002. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

Detroit Publishing Company, publisher. Lower Falls of Yellowstone, Wyoming. Carbon print, copyright 1908.