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| by Herbert Rose Berraud, "Marie Roze, soprano." ca. late 1880s. http://www.luminous-lint.com/app/vexhibit/_PHOTOGRAPHER_Herbert_Rose__Barraud_01/6/8/4765795984123388150644728/ |
Background:
The woodburytype is a photomechanical process that was
invented by Walter Bentley Woodbury in 1866. Unlike other photomechanical
processes that produce half-tone images, the woodburytype is a continuous tone
image, which made it a more desirable product for higher end illustrated book publishing. The
process was primarily used between 1866 and 1900, but due to its complex and timely process, the woodburytype was surpassed by less expensive and simpler half-tone processes.
Process:
This video from the Eastman House illustrates
the process for creating a woodburytype. The process included using a light-sensitive gelatin relief (the gelatin remaining thickest in the darkest areas, thinner in lighter areas), then pressing this three-dimensional image into a piece of lead with extreme pressure. The lead relief was then coated in a pigment dyed gelatin (any color but usually in warm brownish tones). The resulting image was not light sensitive and produced a rich and clear image.
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| Woodburytype Press http://www.graphicsatlas.org/identification/?process_id=3 |
Because of the extreme weight necessary to press the image,
woodburytypes were never very large. The images never exceeded 10 by 14 inches,
most were 4 by 7 inches.
Woodburytypes were not printed directly into the books,
because of the messy process of squeezing out the gelatin and the great weight
used to press the images, the finished image was trimmed and pasted into the
publication.
Identification:
Sometimes, woodburytypes will have the word “woodburytype”
printed on the book page with the image, though not always and if they are not
attached to the original book page or mount then it can be even more difficult. A few other
distinctive characteristics are the warmer, continuous tones and the
differential gloss. The Graphics Atlas has an excellent animation which
illustrates this noticeable glossy effect. The darker
portions of the image come off much shinier compared to the lighter sections which are duller. Another identifyer is that woodburytypes do not fade, so they are just as beautiful today.
Examples:
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| "A mountain-dew girl, Killarney": presented with the Photographic News, January 26, 1866, from an original negative by H.P. Robinson. http://cdm16245.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p1325coll1/id/138/rec/25, (N1 P4548) |
The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute has the David A. Hanson Collection of the History of Photomechanical Reproduction. The collection contains different types of photomechanical images, including several woodburytypes. This woodburytype (shown above) is describes in the collection as the first published example.
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| By Walter Bentley Woodbury, "Colossal Figure at Singa-Sarie, Java." 1857, http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?IMG=26836_c&IRN=26836&vID=3 (NGA 2000.635.1-28) |
Walter B. Woodbury traveled extensively in Asia and Oceania, particularly Java, and also lived in Australia for a time. The book pictured above, Treasure spots of the world: a selection of the chief beauties and wonders of nature and art, 1857, contains 28 woodburytypes of these locales. This book is part of the National Gallery of Australia.
Walter Bentley Woodbury, Self Portrait. Woodbury was an experienced photographer, utilizing several processes. This self portrait is actually an albumen print, but I thought I would throw it in. This image is held by the National Media Museum in Bradford, UK.
The Inventor, Walter Bentley Woodbury:
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Photograph by Walter Bentley Woodbury, "Self portrait with camera." 1857. National Media Museum. http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/Collection/Photography/RoyalPhotographicSociety/CollectionItem.aspx?id=2003-5001/2/20189 (reference number: 2003-5001/2/20189)
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