Photogravure

Photogravure of Victor Hugo, 1883

Photogravure is an intaglio printmaking or photo- A 1901 photogravure illustration by W. E. F. Britten for Alfred, mechanical process whereby a copper plate is coated with Lord Tennyson's poem St. Simeon Stylites. a light-sensitive gelatin tissue which had been exposed to a ﬁlm positive, and then etched, resulting in a high quality intaglio print that can reproduce the detail and continuous tones of a photograph.

1 History Photogravure in its mature form was developed in 1878 The earliest forms of photogravure were developed by Czech painter Karel Klíč, who built on Talbot’s re- by two original pioneers of photography itself, first search. This process, the one still in use today, is called Nicéphore Niépce in France in the 1820s, and later Henry the Talbot-Klič process. Fox Talbot in England. Niépce was seeking a means to Because of its high quality and richness, photogravure create photographic images on plates that could then be was used for both original fine art prints[2] and for photo- etched and used to make prints on paper with a tradi- reproduction of works from other media such as paint- tional printing press. Niépce’s early images were among ings. Photogravure is distinguished from rotogravure in the first photographs, pre-dating daguerreotypes and the that photogravure uses a flat copper plate etched rather later wet collodion photographic process. Talbot, inven- deeply and printed by hand, while in rotogravure, as the tor of the calotype paper negative process, wanted to name implies, a rotary cylinder is only lightly etched, and make paper prints that would not fade. He worked on his it is a factory printing process for newspapers, magazines, photomechanical process in the 1850s and patented it in and packaging. In France the correct term for pho- 1852 ('photographic engraving') and 1858 ('photoglyphic togravure is héliogravure, while the French term pho- engraving').[1] togravure refers to any photo-based etching technique.

1 2 3 TECHNIQUE

folios of ﬁne art photogravures was Paul Strand's Pho- tographs from Mexico from 1940, reissued as The Mexi- can Portfolio in 1967 by DeCapo Press. Many years later, photogravure has experienced a revival in the hands of Aperture and Jon Goodman, who studied it in Europe. Photogravure is now actively practiced in several dozen workshops around the world.

3 Technique

Photogravure plates go through several distinct stages:

• First, a continuous tone film positive is made from the original photographic negative. A smaller negative can be enlarged onto a sheet of film, which is then processed to a range of continuous tones with specific densities. • The second stage is to sensitize a sheet of pigmented gelatin tissue by immersion into a 3.5% solution of potassium dichromate for 3 minutes. Once dried against a Plexiglas (Perspex) surface, it is ready for the next stage. • The third stage (usually the next day) is to expose the film positive to the sensitized gravure tissue. The positive is placed on top of the sensitized sheet of pigmented gelatin tissue. The sandwich is then exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. A separate exposure to a very fine stochastic or hard-dot mezzotint Blessed Art Thou Among Women by Gertrude Käsebier, 1899. screen is made, or alternatively an aquatint grain of Brooklyn Museum asphaltum or rosin is applied and fused to the copperplate usually before the exposed gelatin tissue is adhered to the plate. The UV light travels through 2 Qualities the positive and screen (if used) in succession, each time hardening the gelatin in proportion to the de- gree of light exposed to it. Photogravure registers a wide variety of tones, through the transfer of etching ink from an etched copper plate • The fourth stage is to adhere the exposed tissue to to special dampened paper run through an etching press. the copper plate. The gelatin tissue is adhered or The unique tonal range comes from photogravure’s vari- “laid down” onto the highly polished copper plate able depth of etch, that is, the shadows are etched many under a layer of cool water. It is squeezed into place times deeper than the highlights. Unlike half-tone pro- and the excess water is wiped clear. cesses which merely vary the size of dots, the actual • Once adhered, the fifth stage is to use a hot water quantity and depth of ink wells are varied in a pho- bath to remove the paper backing and to wash away togravure plate and are often blended into a smooth tone the softer, unexposed gelatin. The remaining depth by the printing process. Photogravure practitioners such of hardened gelatin is relative to the exposure. This as Peter Henry Emerson and others brought the art to layer of hardened gelatin forms a contoured resist on a high standard in the late 19th century. This contin- the copper plate. The resist is dried, and the edges ued with the work of Alfred Stieglitz in the early 20th and back of the copper are stopped out (staged). century, especially in relation to his publication Camera Work.[3] This publication also featured the photogravures • The sixth stage is to etch the plate in a series of of Alvin Langdon Coburn who was a fine gravure printer ferric chloride baths, from the densest to slightly and envisioned his photographic work as gravures rather more dilute, in steps. The density of these baths than other photo-based processes. The speed and conve- is measured in degrees Baumé. The ferric chloride nience of silver-gelatin photography eventually displaced migrates through the gelatin, etching the shadows photogravure which fell into disuse after the Edward S. and blacks under the thinnest areas first. The etch- Curtis gravures in the 1920s. One of the last major port- ing progresses through the tonal scale from dark to 3

light as the plate is moved to successively more di- 4 Alternatives lute baths of ferric chloride. The image is etched onto the copperplate by the ferric chloride, creating a gravure plate with tiny “wells” of varying depth to 4.1 Digital direct-to-plate photogravure hold ink. The pattern formed by the aquatint grain or the screen exposure creates minute “lands” around Donald Farnsworth at the art workshop Magnolia Edi- which the etching occurs, giving the copperplate the tions developed a digital direct-to-plate photogravure tooth to hold ink. The “wells” which hold the ink process that does not use gelatin. Instead, a series of vary in depth, a unique aspect of photogravure. 'masks’ (layers of resist) are printed onto a copper plate using a flatbed UV cured acrylic printer: “The flatbed • The final stage is to print the cleaned plate. printer allows us to etch a stochastic [random] dot pattern into the plate in a completely controlled, precise way... This process is an inversion of the traditional photogravure method, where you’re etching through a sheet of gelatin, and gradually the gelatin is getting thinner and more acid reaches the plate, so the last thing that’s etched are the light tones.”[4] Instead, the digital direct-to-plate method requires that the light values be etched first; then the printer is used to lay down a new layer of ink onto the plate between acid baths, masking out the lighter values to protect them from subsequent etches. The initial mask looks like it has barely been printed; the masks grow A series of illustrations representing the steps of the photogravure in density until the plate eventually appears almost com- process pletely black. In another variation of the traditional process, where the acid baths are increasingly watered down as the process 3.1 Printing the plate unfolds, the direct-to-plate process begins with a weak bath and is gradually etched in baths which are increas- Printing a photogravure is similar to printing any other ingly acidic.[4] intaglio plate, especially a finely etched aquatint. A stiff, oily intaglio printing ink is applied to the whole surface of the plate with a rubber brayer, or a small, stiff squeegee, 4.2 Photo-polymergravure / Polymer Pho- or a rolled tamper. The plate is then gently wiped with togravure tarlatans to remove the excess ink and drive it into the recesses (wells). It is finally wiped with the fatty part of the palm of the hand in quick glancing strokes. This removes Photopolymer plates, usually used for relief and letter- all remaining ink from the polished highlights and high press printing, can be used to make photogravure plates. These polymer plates, when developed, are a hard plas- points and leaves ink only in the etched recesses. After the edges are cleaned, the plate is placed on the print- tic, which allows for fewer impressions to be made. Some feel that they rival the quality of traditional copper plate ing bed of an intaglio press. It is covered with a sheet of dampened rag paper and then two to three layers of photogravure, while others find that the lack of differen- tial depth in the polymer coating compromises quality. thin wool blankets. It is then run through the press at high pressure. The high pressure pushes the fibers of the The process involves a series of exposures of the poly- dampened paper into the wells of the plate which then mer plate. First, it is exposed under strong light with a transfers the ink onto the paper thereby creating the im- random dot screen placed on top of it (called an aquatint pression. The paper is carefully peeled off the plate and screen in fine art printing or a stochastic screen in com- placed between blotters and weighted so it will dry flat. mercial printing). Next, the plate is exposed to a positive The plate can now be re-inked for another impression or transparency of an image. This transparency can be a it can be cleaned for storage. continuous tone positive on film, but is most often made Macdermid Autotype, the last manufacturer of the gelatin as a digital 'positive' (made in the same way as a digital pigment paper (tissue) needed to make traditional copper negative) printed with an inkjet printer. The plate is then plate photogravure, announced the end of their produc- developed; for most types and brands of plates, this is tion in August 2009. Since then, other manufacturers, in- done in water. cluding Bostick & Sullivan, Phoenix Gravure, and others After proper drying and curing, the plate can be inked and in India, Taiwan, and Japan have begun supplying gelatin printed. The dual exposures produce an “etched” poly- pigment paper (resist tissue) to the market. These prod- mer plate with many thousands of indentations of vary- ucts are used by practitioners of traditional photogravure ing depth which hold ink, which in turn are transferred etching and by commercial printers. as a continuous tone image to a sheet of paper. Depend- 4 7 EXTERNAL LINKS ing on the quality, the resulting print may look similar to or the same as those produced with the traditional photogravure process, though without the same amount of three-dimensional depth on the surface of the plate, and arguably, the print itself. Two polymer plates commonly in use are Printight plates made by the Toyobo Corporation and Solarplates.

5 See also

• Photoengraving

6 References

[1] “Talbot’s Correspondence:Biography". De Montfort Uni- versity. Retrieved 2008-10-06.

[2] “Pictorialism & The Photo-Secession”. Katzman, Mark. Retrieved 17 February 2014.

[3] “Camera Notes & Camera Work”. Katzman, Mark. Re- trieved 17 February 2014.

[4] “Direct to Plate Photogravure: Catching Up With the Past.” Stone, Nick. Retrieved 2009-04-13.

7 External links

• The Art of The Photogravure: Process, History and Examples 5

8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1 Text

• Photogravure Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photogravure?oldid=717455044 Contributors: Leandrod, Infrogmation, Paul Bar- low, Rl, Haukurth, Maximus Rex, Qertis, Dratman, Gdr, MarkSweep, Parktravelling, Rich Farmbrough, Pavel Vozenilek, Smalljim, C S, Duk, Kaganer, Csant, Hoary, Saxifrage, Woohookitty, Armando, Sparkit, Wikiliki, Pinkville, Ragesoss, Calvin08, SmackBot, Durova, Thumperward, Green Giant, CmdrObot, Gogo Dodo, JamesAM, Malleus Fatuorum, Amity150, Kamprint, Goldenrowley, JAnDbot, Ma- gioladitis, WikkanWitch, Mczech1111, Nono64, OttoMäkelä, Librarian007, Johnbod, VolkovBot, Vlmastra, Deafwhitecat, Broadbot, Jonlyb, Kelerin, Renpress, Martarius, Kathleen.wright5, Pointillist, Carriearchdale, Shoemaker’s Holiday, Addbot, Freedda, Jarble, Yobot, AnomieBOT, LucienBOT, Noel vs liam, Lotje, EmausBot, Look2See1, ZéroBot, AVarchaeologist, Jennp66, Artzeb, Frosty, Yamaha5, KH-1, Catherineneg, Ngc15 and Anonymous: 25

8.2 Images

• File:Ambox_important.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Own work, based off of Image:Ambox scales.svg Original artist: Dsmurat (talk · contribs) • File:Commons-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contribu- tors: ? Original artist: ? • File:Edit-clear.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg License: Public domain Contributors: The Tango! Desktop Project. Original artist: The people from the Tango! project. And according to the meta-data in the file, specifically: “Andreas Nilsson, and Jakub Steiner (although minimally).” • File:Gertrude_Kasebier_Blessed_Art_Thou_Among_Women_1899.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/ 1/11/Gertrude_Kasebier_Blessed_Art_Thou_Among_Women_1899.jpg License: No restrictions Contributors: Brooklyn Museum Origi- nal artist: Gertrude Käsebier • File:Large_format_camera_lens.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Large_format_camera_lens.png License: Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ? • File:Photogravure_steps.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Photogravure_steps.jpg License: CC BY- SA 3.0 Contributors: I (David Morrish) created this work entirely by myself. Original artist: David Morrish • File:Question_book-new.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/Question_book-new.svg License: Cc-by-sa-3.0 Contributors: Created from scratch in Adobe Illustrator. Based on Image:Question book.png created by User:Equazcion Original artist: Tkgd2007 • File:Victor_Hugo.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Victor_Hugo.jpg License: Public domain Con- tributors: French Government, Ministry of Culture, http://www.culture.gouv.fr/GOUPIL/FILES/CHROMO_TYPO.html Original artist: Comte Stanisław Julian Ostroróg dit WALERY (1830-1890) • File:W.E.F._Britten_-_Alfred,_Lord_Tennyson_-_St._Simeon_Stylites.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ commons/b/bc/W.E.F._Britten_-_Alfred%2C_Lord_Tennyson_-_St._Simeon_Stylites.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: The Early Poems of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Edited with a Critical Introduction, Commentaries and Notes, together with the Various Readings, a Transcript of the Poems Temporarily and Finally Suppressed and a Bibliography by John Churton Collins. With ten illustrations in Photogravure by W. E. F. Britten. Methuen & Co. 36 Essex Street W. C. London, 1901 Original artist: • William Edward Frank Britten (1848–1916)

8.3 Content license

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