Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-01-27
A. KATE, Proprietor.
THE GELATINE PROCESS.
WHAT is SAID OF THE SULLIVAN OF
PHOTOGRAPHY.
The Dry Plates of the Amateur PhOfog.
rapher-How Gelatine Knocked Out the
Unfortunate Wood Ensraver-Basis OF
the process Blocks"

fapncr~ho" "ut NV
Unfortunate Wood Engrayer-Basis OF
the process Blocks
A few years ago there stepped quietly into
the ring the John L. Sullivan of photog-
raphy Few were prepared for the stir ne
was soon going to make. His name was Gel
atine He knocked out the CollodIon Plate
the first round, and then locked around for
something else to do. He is as present en-
gagged in fight with the Wood Engraver,
and no one was more surprised than the old
"Woodpeckern at being suddenly called on
to defend himself Many OF the pictures you
have seen in the magazines-many that are
in recently published books and, alas. sll
that YOU notice in the columns Of the news
papers-are due TO Mr.. Geiatine. Gelatine,
combined with certain salts of sugar, was
put On glass, and the dried plates so made
were good for almost any length of time. In
stead Of a cumbersome chemists shop, the
travelling photographer took with him few
boxes OF dry plates. Gelatine has much to
answer for. He it was who introduced TO us
the amateur photographer, to whom no'hinS
is sacred If it were not for Gelatine
should not be writing this today. Whatever
may be said against the old wet plate pro-
cess, it ought to be remembered that 1t was
too cumbersome and complex for every Tom,
Dick and Harry TO work at
This is how Gelatine punished the uDfOrtu-
nate wood engraver, who was sitting quietly
at his bench, never expecting blow. Celia
tine is a tremendous swell lit is put in water
it swels up a an awful rate Water affects it
more than it does John L. Sullivan. Now il
ch
is exposed to the light ii will not swell, while
if kept in ths dark it will swell if it ho put
in water Surprising YOU had a glass plato
covered with the cherncaiized gelatine. You
keen it in the dark Now, if you take another
glass plate of the saEle size and write your
name on it in any opaque ink and then when
it dries place this plate OF plain glass on the
gelatincd glass with the writing and the gela-
tine next each other and let the rays OF the
sun shine through the plain glass on the
other and place the gelatine glass III a tray
If water, this is what will happen: The ink
not having allowed the gelatine under it 20
be touched with the rays OF light, the Ge!a-
tine under the tracing VIII swell and Ill
short time there is your nnme in raised letters
on the gelatine plate, but reversed, of course.
WHITING IN FAC-SIMILE.
Now over this you flow some plaster Of
Paris, and when that is set and lifted off you
pour in type metal and there You are You
have printing block that viii give a fac
smile Of your writing. II Is in this way
that the fac-simile of letter IS produced,
only in this case the letter instead of being
written on the glass is photographed on it
and is, therefore, an exact copy of every hair
line.
The method l have roughly described IS
the basis OF all process blocks" as they ore
called, and when you see some Of them on
the pages Of the magazines you would think
they were the work OF the most shillful wood
engreyer. and the magazine takes care that
you don't think anything else, although the
cost, rs compared even with the toughest
woodwork, ia mere trife. The process
have sl:etched is easily done and have made
printing blocks myself by that method, but
if you want to know how to do it You will
have to get the particulars from some work
like that Of DR.. Wilson'S. Il would take
too much space to tell about it here. But
gelatine not satisfied with knocking the I'M
derpinning from the wood encraver, takes
Shy at the artist as well. The artist, how
ever, has not so much to fear az the wood
ilcic - SI!S.b CdII u tiDals. n IIDtC-
..raDn is taken OF building, for instance
a careful boy can go over the lines of the
photograph with India ink. The photograph
Is then put in certain chemical, and in
short time all that was photographed disap-
pears and leaves white paper instead. But III.
lines done IN Indis ink remain. II is a pict-
ure OF the building in black lines on a white
ground. This is photographed and the mega
tive obtained is placed over the gelatiEe
plate, as the writing was in the former ir-
stance, ard thus you ge. an accurate print
ing block without the intervention Ct the
Sharps Book Review in De-
troit Free Press.