The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-05-03
FADED PHOTOGRAPHS.

FADED PHOTOGRAPHS.
various Rsi,abl. aesheds BY which They
May Be Restored.
Tho family album upon the draw.
ing-room table is never-failing sub
ject Of interest to visitors and among
individuals who lack original ideas
forms an agreeable subject Of conver.
salon in place of that Of the weather.
OF late years, however. there is more
diffidence in placing It in prominent
positions for the ready examination Of
waiting friends, the sad-colored pict-
ures Of "the hue of November fog In
Cheapside. or bad piece Of ginger
bread spoiled in the baking" being
at variance with average ideas Of
artistic elegance. A more serious as
pect Of the case Is gradual discolora-
ton or fading Of the likenesses Of
members of the family who have
passed away by death. raising the
question in the minds Of survivors
what is to be done to preserve those
lineaments for inspection, ere 1t be
too late.
When the white parts of an ord ina
ry photograph begin to turn yellow.
that photograph is doomed unless i'm
mediate efforts be made to preserve 1t
and those efforts may not always be
successful Treatment with a weak
solution of bi-chloride Of mercury,
under the hands of q sklllful photo.
graphic practitioner. is one of the
best methods Of making the attempt
This may arrest decay, lbut will Not
restore the likeness to the condition Of
. fiIst-rate photograph. Bi-chloride
of mercury or corrosive sublimate is
highly poisonous and is best left alone
by the uninitiated.
A better way of preserving the
memento is to send the photograph
to platinum printing or carbon
printing firm Of photographers In
sufficiently largo way Of business to
keep upon their premises artists
skilled in the use of the brush and
pencil Their usual plan then IL to
obtain upon glass or paper an en-
larged positive copy Of the fading
photograph. This copy is IRE
touched. that is to say. worked upon
by hand so as to remove obvious de-
fects due to d ecay or to original bad
work; negative is taken from the
perfected positive and from this
negative any number of copies may
be printed by Photographic means in
permanent carbon pigments or in
platinum black. To obtain the
positive already mentioned a pri-
mary negative has to be taken. SO that
two negatives are necsssitated by the
process, both of which, as we'll a. the
positive. are usually worked upon
aaaewhat by the hand Of the artist;
the method Of getting . good psrma-
nent photograph from bad. fading
one is. therefore complies and re-
quires skill
In the carbon process. carbon or
other suitable permanent pigment u
spread upon paper or glass along with
solution Of gelatine and of bicromate
of potash or ammonia. Where the
light acts upon the surface through
the negative. the decomposition of the
salt renders the gelatine insoluable;
consequently. when the paper is after
wards placed in warm water: the gel
atiue unacted upon by light dissolves
off in company with its pigment thus
leaving the white paper exposed; but
where the light has acted. the gela-
tine and pigment remain to form the
shadows Of the picture. These are tho
broad principles Of the process, omit
ting various practical details which 1t
would exceed present limits to partic-
ularize.
The other permanent process. in
which the dark parts of the picture
are formed Of platinum black, gives
the most durable pictures known.
platinum being metal which has
more power than gold Of resisting
change under atmospheric and othcr
influences, indeed. platinum black IL
infinitely moro permanent than the
paper upon which Il is printed. In
some cases. isither from badly pre-
pared sensitissd paper or from faults
in the photographic manipulations.
platinum prints have bean known to
turn yellow In tho whites under tho
influence Of sulphuretted hydrogen;
such disco loration has sometimes been
subsequently removed by the applica-
ton OF chemical reagents. without the
dark parts Of the paper having been
affected all through the operation
There are methods Of taking photo
graphs in silver which have exactly
tho appearances Of platinotypea. -
that an expert can not always test the
difference without the application Of
chemical tests; these black and en-
graving-iiks silver prints are In all
probability mnch more permanent
than the ordisary photographs used
for the stocking Of albam. -CAsss-
bssj yo3ssas.
There are 3,6ao licensed saloons IN Nj
souri,. Of thts punbst g: Loais snp
ports l.l6O.