Old Masters Crombie to Burton: Nineteenth Century NZ Photographers / 19 May - 12 June 2010

Photographers include: John Crombie, George Valentine, Burton Brothers, John Kinder, Elisabeth Pulman, Daniel Mundy, James Bragge and Herbert Deveril.

This exhibition focuses on the main nineteenth century New Zealand photographers who traversed the country in difficult circumstances to document the landscape and the people within. Although many of these photographers are known, John Leech Gallery thinks they deserve greater recognition for their efforts and expertise in documenting early New Zealand.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue publication titled Crombie to Burton Early New Zealand Photography. Beautiful reproductions of the exhibited photographs and detailed descriptions of the works feature in this publication. For more information and to order a copy please contact the gallery.

Nineteenth Century photographic processes:

Albumen Print: The Albumen Print was invented in 1850 and remained popular until around 1900.  Because this process does not require the use of a chemical developing solution it is sometimes regarded as a printed rather than photographic method.
First, a combination of albumen (found in egg whites) and salt is applied to a piece of paper, sealing it and creating a slightly glossy finish.  In a darkened room the paper is then coated with a combination of silver nitrate and water, a solution that clings to the paper’s new glossiness and gives the surface its sensitivity to UV light.  When dry, the paper is placed below the negative which is then exposed to light, instantly imprinting the image on to the paper.  When the image reaches the required depth of darkness the light source is extinguished, the negative removed and a fixative solution applied, preventing the image from further darkening and minimising later fading.

Albumenised Salt Print: A Salt Print (as above) that has been glazed or varnished with a thin coating of albumen.

Ambrotype: First used in the early 1850s and popular for around a decade, the Ambrotype creates a positive image on a sheet of glass.
First, one side of a very clean piece of glass is covered with a thin layer of the chemical solution collodion then dipped into a solution of silver nitrate.  While still wet, the glass is then exposed to the subject before being eventually developed and fixed.  The resulting image appears on the glass in negative but, as the back surface is then completely coated with black varnish, this situation is reversed: the clear areas now appear black while previously opaque areas look pale by comparison.  Another sheet of glass is then placed over the emulsion side of the original panel to protect it and the entire work is mounted within a metal frame and protective case.

Gelatin Silver Print: This method involves coating the paper with a layer of light sensitive silver salts (such as silver bromide or silver chloride) that have been suspended in gelatin.  In a dark room, following exposure to the negative and to light, the paper must then be soaked in a developing solution until the image becomes visible on the paper.  When the desired depth of darkness is achieved the image is fixed and washed.
The Gelatin Silver Print process was introduced in the 1880s and eventually replaced Albumen printing.  It was particularly popular until the advent of colour photography in the 1960s and, as currently available black and white photographic paper is embedded with a silver and gelatin solution, remains the standard process used for this type of photography.

Photogram: A photogram is created without a camera by placing objects directly on to the surface of paper that has been photo-sensitised, then exposing it to light. 

Salt Print: The first type of paper print to be used in photography, the Salt Print remained the most popular method from 1839 through to the invention of the Albumen Print in 1850.  It continued to be used until around 1860. In this process, a piece of paper is treated with a solution of salt, followed by a coating of silver nitrate.  When dry, it is placed with the coated side up and the negative on top, then exposed to sunlight.  As with the Albumen Print, Salt Prints do not require the use of a developing solution.  Instead, the image will be imprinted directly on to the paper then fixed with a further chemical wash. Unlike other printing processes, Salt Prints are typically matt in finish and either a reddish brown or (if toned) purplish brown colour.