IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING COLORS OR TINTS TO PHOTOGRAPHS, ALBUME- NIZED AND OTHER SURFACES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING COLORS OR TINTS TO PHOTOGRAPHS, ALBUME-
NIZED AND OTHER SURFACES."-A communication from abroad by
Henry Vander Weyde, of the City, County, and State of New
York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 17th January 1872.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lanc, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING COLORS OR TINTS TO
PHOTOGRAPHS, ALBUMENIZED AND OTHER SURFACES," to be as follows:-
The purpose of this Invention is twofold.

page_text: albumenized and other surfaces, which will have the appearance of
having been produced at the expense of a vast amount of labor and
artistic skill. These stippled tints have thus far only been successfully
produced by good artists after years of practice using a fine brush
charged with wet color, and dotting one stipple or stroke at a time.
Secondly. To fix dry colors or tints on albumenized or other surfaces.
Dry colors or tints have never before been fixed or even applied to
albumenized or glossy surfaces.
This improved method consists of rubbing with the aid of a soft pad
dry colors or tints of any kind, condition, or form, and fine pulverized
' pumice stone, or its equivalent, using them together or separate on the
albumenized or other surface until it adheres by penetrating into the
grain of the same. In this way I secure in an incredibly short time all
the advantages of the customary method, while the result obtained is
even superior in artistic appearance and atmospheric effect to the most
laborious and highly finished productions.
This improved method must not be confounded with any old methods
of applying dry colors or tints to surfaces as they are all superficially
applied which have a dead, opaque, flat chalky effect, and can be readily
blown or rubbed off, while they will not even temporarily adhere to
albumenized surfaces, while according to this improved method dry tints
can be applied to any surface, cannot be rubbed or blown off by ordinary
means, and the effect is atmospherically transparent and looks by no
means opaque or chalky, but like the laborious artistic manipulation of a
fine wet brush.

page_text: year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark,
Her special licence that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my
3 executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Alexander Melville Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
O Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING COLORS OR TINTS TO
PHOTOGRAPHS, ALBUMENIZED AND OTHER SURFACES," a communication to me
from abroad by Henry Vander Weyde, of the City, County, and State
of New Vork, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manuer
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement (that is to say) :—
This Invention consists of a new method of combining and applying
dry colors and crayons with other substances for the production of
mezzotint effects or atmospheric stipples, stippled effects or appearances
in any tint or color on albumenized, glutenized, and gelatinized paper
surfaces suitable for photographic prints. These effects are rapidly,
cheaply, and easily produced and at a great saving of time and skill, and
the method is highly valuable and useful in the pictorial art, and is
especially adapted to the finishing and beautifying of portrait and figure
photographs by reason of the effects being thoroughly harmonious with
the exquisite texture and delicate gradations and tones of such photo-
graphs. I need hardly remark that the surface of albumenized as well
as other papers while apparently flat consists of prominences and
indentations. Artists have observed that dry color applied to these

page_text: prominences and indentations alike leaves the effect opaque and destitute
of atmospheric effect, and they have aimed to apply dry color so as to
touch only these prominences, leaving the tints in the indentations to
shine through, so to speak, and thus secure the retiring atmospheric
effect so desirable.
The effect of this Invention is to give the appearance of a very
elaborate finish such as could be attained in an approximate degree only
by great labor, artistic skill, and patience, whereas by this Invention
that effect can be attained rapidly, and by persons of ordinary skill in
the manipulation of colors and by persons who are not experienced
artists, but possessed merely of artistic taste and culture.
Chiaraoscuro effects, or effects of light and shade, can by this process
be produced with great rapidity by reason of the luminous stippled half
or middle tint which is first produced, as this tint is capable of being
rapidly and readily lightened or darkened without distroying its quality,
and because the size or grain of the stipple is to a certain extent under
control. By this process a large surface can be treated almost as rapidly
as a small one, and the process when applied to photographic portraits
or figures has the effect of softening, subduing, and retiring the back-
ground accessories and hard outlines, and thus enhancing by contrast
the solidity, brilliancy, and crispness of the head and figure belonging to
an albumenized print, the character or likeness remaining unaltered.
By this process the background and drapery of a portrait photographi
may be made to resemble the mezzotint effect in engraving, but with a
higher degree of atmospheric effect (in any tint or color), and moreover
possessing what is technically known as great breadth and freedom of
touch and a luminous quality. These effects have not been hitherto
attained by any of the various methods of tinting surfaces hitherto, as
for instance by using a stump dipped in dry color and applying onc
stroke or stipple at a time, or by first rubbing the surface with an
abrading substance such as pumice stone, which is then removed or
blown off, being merely employed to give a "tooth" to the surface of
the paper to which the color or crayon which is next applied is thereby
caused to adhere or by first applying an adhesive substance such as rosin,
and then applying the color or crayon, or by applying the dry color
without any preparation, or by first roughening the surface by pressing
it on a grained lithographic stone or similar rough surface, or by the
application of fresh albumen, ammonia, or alum water, or. by mixing

page_text: with an agglutinating liquid any substance giving when dry a "tooth,"
and then applying dry color or crayon.
The effects obtained by the methods above mentioned are not har-
monious with the delicate gradations of the albumenized photograph, the
chalky raw effect even when a stipple was obtained being suited only to
crayon drawings or rough sketches. Indian ink and water colors have
also been applied with a brush one stroke or stipple at a time; they have
also been applied in the form of spray, but its effect is blotchy and
unartistic. Various other methods by printing from negatives have also
been used for producing stipples, but with indifferent results.
I will now describe the Invention as applied to a portrait photograph
to be finished in monochrome.
I prefer a comparatively fresh print, as age sometimes injuriously
affects the albumen of which the paper should have received a single
coat only, for if the albumen be too thick it detracts from the artistic
advantage found in the texture of the paper surface, and makes it too
much like glass. The picture should be printed in vignette, the drapery
fading away gradually, the background having been well masked, and
the ground around the head and figure tinted very slightly by exposure
to light, this tint flowing into the head and figure evenly, and the print
should be as vigorous and its tone as brilliant as possible. It should be
mounted before drying on a stiff flat backing of cardboard, care having
been taken to use paste or mucilage free from lumps and grit and rolled
on a steel plate before it is thoroughly dried or quite hard, using only
sufficient pressure to flatten down any irregularities, though greater
pressure is needed on small pictures where a fine stipple is required.
The old method of rolling it on a lithographic stone of a fine grain may
be used with advantage if the surface be very smooth or glassy. The
picture thus prepared when fixed on a drawing board is ready for the
application of this Invention.
I first take about two parts of powdered pumice stone of a medium
grade of fineness to one part of finely crushed black crayon or pastel, of
which I prefer the softest French (though not what is known as stump-
ing sauce), and sprinkle them either separately or mixed together over
the surface to be treated, adding sufficient dry color or crayon of a warm
tint such as crimson lake to match the tone of the photograph. Then
with the fingers or flat part of the hand, or a soft pad, I rub this

page_text: mixture over the parts to be treated, avoiding the face and all high
lights not desirable to be toned down. There should be enough of the
mixture used to prevent contact of the hand with the bare surface, and
the rubbing should be with a slight pressure with an even steady
circular motion, avoiding a jerky angular motion and too much rubbing
in one place, but all the parts should be rubbed equally and evenly as
far as possible. Where a large or coarse grained stipple is desired as
towards the edges of the picture the motion should be broad and gliding
or skimming over the surface, while to obtain a fine stipple, as for
instance, immediately around the head and figure where an increased
receding effect is desirable, a quicker closer movement is required. It is
preferable to rub a little over the edges of the head and figure than to
avoid them. I rub thus over all the parts to be treated several times
adding a little more crayon as it frees itself from the mixture and
adheres to the surface, and occasionally blowing off the mixture to
observe the effect, ceasing to rub wherever the color has well adhered to
the surface. I now blow or dust off the loose mixture, and a dark and
scemingly dirty smutchy surface appears, and with the finger I apply a
little of the mixture to darken any light spots or patches. I then apply
a little powdered pumice stone, rubbing it slightly over the whole, which
has the effect of partially loosening the mixture ingrained in the surface
and further blending it. It will be observed that the effect of the
pumice stone is practically to dilute or attenuate and minutely separate
the particles of the crayon, thus giving them a transparent quality which
alone they do not possess, the powdered pumice stone or other material
being employed in a manner analogous to the oil or water used to thin
or dilute the colors in oil or water-color painting, but with this
difference, that without labored and skilful manipulation à continuous
flat tint only is obtained in oil or water colors however much the color
may be diluted, whereas by the use of pumice stone with dry color the
transparent atmospheric stippled effect above mentioned, may be obtained.
The effect produced up to this stage of the process can be produced also,
but not so well by first applying and rubbing the crayon on to the
surface, and then adding and mingling the pumice stone with it and pro-
ceeding to rub as before, which it must be borne in mind gives a very
different result to that obtained by the old method above referred to of
first abrading the surface and applying the colors after the abrading
material has been removed, in which case no dilution or attenuation of
the color by the pumice stone is obtained. I then sprinkle over all the

page_text: and figure, and it should commence suddenly and boldly (yet not with
hardness) on the light background next the shady side of the head, just
under the shoulder if a three quarter figure, and just over the shoulder if
a head and bust. Here soft crayon sauce warmed to match shadows of
the picture will be found more vigorous than black crayon. This part of
the background should present the strongest contrast of light and shade.
Ink eraser and vulcanized rubber may be used with advantage to remove
small patches or lines, and to put in edge lights to the cast shadow as
well as to clear up any part of the head or figure and for high lights.
The hair, eyes, eyebrows, and all strong drapery shadows in the
centro of the figure should be treated with prepared gum water. For
increasing high lights in white drapery or linen or jewellery I mix a
little orange chrome with thick Chinese white to avoid a chalky effect.
Having now described the nature of the Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as the
Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the applying dry color or crayon by means of pumice stone,
cuttle fish, powdered glass, or other abrading substance so as to produce
the stippled effects above described on the albumenized or glutenized and
gelatinized surfaces of photographic prints.
In witness whercof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
Witness,
Wμ. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)