CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ART OF MAKING PHOTOGRAPHIC TRANSFERS ADAPTED TO THE PURPOSE OF ENGRAVING OR LITHOGRAPHY, OR OF MAKING PLATES OR BLOCKS FROM WHICH TO PRINT THE DESIGN OR OTHER MATTER TRANSFERRED
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Guy Morvan, of South Bergen, in the County
of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, United States of America, for the
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ART OF MAKING PHOTOGRAPHIC
TRANSFERS ADAPTED TO THE PURPOSE OF ENGRAVING OR LITHOGRAPHY, OR OF
MAKING PLATES OR BLOCKS FROM WHICH TO PRINT THE DESIGN OR OTHER
MATTER TRANSFERRED."
Sealed the 9th July 1867, and dated the 11th January 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Guy Morvan at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th January 1867.
I, ARTHUR GUY MORVAN, of South Bergen, in the County of Hudson, and
State of New Jersey, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ART OF MAKING
PHOTOGRAPHIC TRANSFERS ADAPTED TO THE PURPOSE OF ENGRAVING OR LITHOGRAPHY,
OR OF MAKING PLATES OR BLOCKS PROM WHICH TO PRINT THE DESIGN OR OTHER
MATTER TRANSFERRED," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in a new process of making photographic transfers,
and has for its principal object the production of drawings, engravings,

page_text: printed matter, manuscripts, and other similar things by the action of light,
so that the reproduced figures, forms, or letters may be readily transferred to
stone, zinc, or other metallic surfaces for printing or engraving, in the manner
berein-after described. By this process the operation is much facilitated, and
results superior to those produced by any process heretofore known are
effected, especially in the reproduction of line engravings, printed matter, and
manuscripts.
My improved process consists of six distinct features or elements, which
are here stated in the order in which they constitute my entire process of
photographic transfer.
First, the preparation of the paper on which the photographic picture is to
be formed.
Second, the preparation and application of the coating for the paper which
is to constitute a material to receive the action of the light, and form the
picture upon the paper.
Third, the transfer of the picture from the negative to the paper by the
action of the light.
Fourth, the preparation and application to the surface of the paper so
bearing the picture of a second coating to give color to the picture, and to
form a medium for transferring the picture from the paper to a surface of
stone, wood, or metal.
Fifth, the removal of both coatings from the parts or spaces not covered by
the picture.
Sixth, the imprint of the picture so made and developed upon stone, zinc,
or other metallic surfaces, or wood.
A
And the following description will enable those who are skilled in the art of
making photographic transfers to carry out and apply my process, and also to
distinguish it and its several parts from processes heretofore known.
'negative may be taken in the ordinary way of any print, printed matter, or
writing which it is desired to engrave or multiply; or if the design is originally
taken for the purposes of this mode of transfer it may be made or traced upon
glass which has been coated with a film of asphaltum, varnish, or other opaque
matter that will answer the purpose, or any other mode may be adopted for
producing the picture in such a way as to give alternate opacity and trans-
parency or translucency, so that a proof may be printed through it by the
action of the light.
Having a picture so made or traced upon a material through which the
light can act, I proceed as follows:-First, I take any good paper which has a

page_text: suitable texture for photographic printing (Saxe's being preferred) and dip it
in a bath of sour milk, whey, or lactine for the purpose of giving to it greater
solidity and power to resist the chemical substances afterwards to be applied to
it, and then dry it at an ordinary temperature. Paper so treated will resist the
subsequent stages of this process much better than the ordinary albuminized
paper, which is not so dipped in the whey or lactine. It is not necessary that
the paper should be first albuminized before applying the whey, but if it has
been, the whey improves the paper for this use. The albumen of the whey or
lactine may be cleared from it by heating it before using it as a bath; it is.
best to apply the whey to both sides of the paper. The preparation of the
paper by immersing it in a bath of lactine or whey is not new of itself;
but the use of paper so treated, whether it has been albuminized or not in.
combination with the other parts and features of my process I believe to be new.
Second, for the purpose of coating the paper so prepared with a suitable
material to receive the action of the light and form the picture, and also to
be capable of ready solution in water where it has not been acted upon by the
light, I take half a pound of French gelatine or French glue and dissolve it
in a pint of water, and while it is boiling I add to it a solution of one-third of
an ounce of permanganate of potassa in a quart of water; this composition
when cool is ready for use; I apply it to the surface of the paper so prepared,
and allow it to dry in a dark room; the paper is then ready to receive the.
photographic impression, which may be taken in the ordinary way under a
negative or other alternately opaque and transparent or translucent design.
The use of permanganate or potassa in combination with the gelatine I
claim to be new, and its advantages are these; first, it prevents the gelatine
from coagulating before it has been acted upon by the light, which is a great
benefit, and one that has not been realized, so far as I am aware, by the
combination with gelatine of any other ingredient capable of being used to
advantage in its place; secondly, it works better and sharper in combination
with gelatine in its exposure to the light and in the subsequent washing than
bichromate of potassa, which has been heretofore combined with gelatine for
the same purpose.
Third, I produce the impression of the picture on the paper so coated, as
above described, in the usual way by allowing the light to act upon the surface
of the paper through the negative, or alternately opaque and transparent
or tranluscent surface on which the picture is traced.
Fourth, I then prepare and apply a second coating of the paper to give
color to the picture, and to form a medium for transferring the picture as

page_text: follows: Immediately after taking the impression on the paper, and before
developing the impression, I coat the paper evenly upon the side which
has been coated with the solution of gelatine and permanganate of potassa
with a composition made of equal parts of Judea bitumen, white wax,
and Burgundy pitch dissolved in a sufficient quantity of essence of lavender
to make it capable of being properly spread with a brush in a thin and uniform
coating, and after spreading it allow it to dry in the dark. Asphaltum or
Judea bitumen has been before used for the same or similar purpose as
that for which it is here employed, combined with one or the other or both
of the ingredients above mentioned, but in such' further combinations as
to form compositions entirely different in their working for the purposes
of a process of photographic transfer from the composition invented by me;
for in such previous compositions the further ingredient of greece or oil has
been introduced, and this I deem it is essential to avoid, because when present
it gives the composition a greater tendency to penetrate the paper and spoil
the picture by producing a semi-transparency in spots than the one I have
described; and it would also have a tendency to prevent the proper action of
the final bath upon the permanganate of potassa and gelatine. It is indis-
pensable, however, that the coating used for this purpose should contain some
ingredient or ingredients which will cause it to transfer and adhere to any
surface on which it may be impressed. The combination of Judea bitumen,
wax, and Burgundy pitch, which is above described, accomplishes this result,
and gives a tenacity and a sharpness of outline which is highly satisfactory.
Fiftb, for the purpose of developing the picture upon the paper by the
removal of the coatings from the parts or spaces not acted on by the light 1.
place the proof so coated with its black side upwards in a bath of cold water,
which dissolves the permanganate in those parts or spaces not acted on by
the light, carrying with it the superincumbent coating of bitumen, wax, and
Burgundy pitch, and I finish cleaning the proof by a few strokes of the sponge,
after which it is dried, when it is ready to be transferred.
Sixth, I transfer the picture made and developed in the manner above
described by contact and pressure to a lithographic stone, or to zinc, or other
metal, or wood in the ordinary manner to be printed from if upon stone, or
etched or engraved if upon metal or wood.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Arthur Guy Morvan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th July 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARTHUR
GUY MORVAN, of South Bergen, in the County of Hudson, and State of New
Jersey, United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Iler
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Arthur Guy Morvan, Her special licence that. I, the said Arthur Guy
Morvan, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Arthur Guy Morvan, 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 Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention. for "CERTAIN.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ART OF MAKING PHOTOGRAPHIC TRANSFERS ADAPTED TO THE
PURPOSE OF ENGRAVING OR. LITHOGRAPHY, OR OF MAKING PLATES OR BLOCKS FROM
WHICH TO PRINT THE DESIGN OR. OTHER MATTER TRANSFERRED," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Arthur Guy Morvan, 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 suid 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 Arthur Guy Morvan, do hereby declaro
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):--
This Invention has for its object the reproduction of drawings, engravings,
printed matter, manuscripts, and other similar matters and things by the
action of light in such a manner that the reproduced picture or other matter
may be readily transferred to stone, zinc, or other substance for printing or
engraving as herein-after more fully set forth.
The nature of this Invention consist in certain improvements in the process

page_text: of the picture or other matter to be engraved, but if the design is originally
produced with a view to and for the purpose of this transfer it may be made
or traced upon glass which has been coated with a film or coating of asphaltum,
varnish, or other opaque matter that will answer the purpose, or any other
inode may be adopted for producing the picture in such a way as to give
alternate opacity and transparency or translucency, so that a proof may be
printed through it by the action of the light; I next take any good paper
which has a suitable texture for photographic printing (the paper of Saxe,
which is very commonly used by photographers being preferred) and dip this
paper in a bath of sour milk, whey, or lactine for the purpose of giving to it
greater solidity and power to resist the chemicals to which it is afterwards
subjected, and after dipping it in this bath allow it to dry at an ordinary
temperature; I then take half a pound of French gelatine or French glue,
which I dissolve in a pint of water, and while it is boiling I add to it a
solution of one-third of an ounce of permanganate of potassa in a quart of
water; I then allow this composition to cool, when it is ready for use; I then
apply this last-mentioned composition to the surface of the paper prepared as
above described, and allow it to dry in a dark room; this paper is then
ready to receive the photographic impression which may be taken in the
ordinary inanner under a negative or other alternately opaque and transparent
or translucent design. Immediately after taking the impression upon this

page_text: paper, and before developing the impression, I coat the paper evenly upon the
side which has been coated with the solution of gelatine and permanganate of
potassa with a composition of equal parts of Judea bitumen, white wax, and
Burgundy pitch, dissolved in a sufficient quantity of essence of lavender to
make it capable of being properly spread with a brush in a thin and uniform
coating and allow it to dry in the dark; I then place this proof so coated with
the black side upward in a bath of cold water which dissolves the perman-
ganate in those parts which have not been acted on by the light, carrying with
it the superincumbent coating of bitumen, wax, and Burgundy pitch, and
finish cleaning the proof by a few strokes of a sponge, after which it is dried,
when it is ready to be transferred by contact and pressure to a lithographic
stone, or to zinc or other metal or material, in the ordinary manner, to be
printed from if upon stone, or etched or engraved if upon metal or wood.
The preparation of the paper by dipping it into whey or lactine is advan-
tageous as it prepares the paper for the subsequent treatment to which it is
necessarily subjected, and which when prepared in this way will resist much
better than the ordinary albumenized paper. It is not necessary that the paper
should be albumenized at all before applying the whey, though this may be
the case.
The lactine or whey may be cleared of albumen by heating it
before using it as a bath; the lactine
the paper, and it is better to do so.
of potassa with the gelatine prevents the latter from coagulating till such
time as it has been operated upon by the light, which is a great advan-
tage, and one which has not been realized, so far as I am aware, by the
combination with gelatine of any other ingredient capable of being used to
advantage in its place. Permanganate of potassa also works better and
sharper in combination with gelatine in its exposure to the light and
subsequent washing than bichromate of potassa, which has been heretofore
combined with gelatine for the same purpose. It is probable that other
materials besides gelatine might be used in combination with permanganate
of potassa with very nearly the same general result, in which cases the
operation would have to be varied to adapt it to the peculiarities of the com-
bination used. Whatever material might be used in place of gelatine in this
process should be of such a nature that the combination will support the
bituminous coating herein-before described, and at the same time be capable
of being so affected by washing as when washed to discharge the bituminous
coating from those parts which have not been acted upon by the light.
Asphaltum or Judea bitumen has been before used for the same or a similar
or whey may be applied to both sides of
The combination of the permanganate

page_text: purpose as that for which it is here employed. It has also been combined
with one or the other of the ingredients herein mentioned and other materials
for the same or other purposes, but in such combinations as to form
compositions entirely different in their working for the purpose of the
process I have described than the composition which I have set forth.
For this process it is desirable to avoid the use of a greasy ink which would
have a greater tendency to penetrate the paper and spoil the picture by pro-
ducing a semi-transparency in spots than the one I have described, and would
also have a tendency to prevent the proper action of the final bath upon the
permanganate of potassa and gelatine. It is indispensable, however, that this
coating should contain some ingredient or ingredients which will make it transfer
and adhere to a surface on which it may be imposed. The combination of
Judea bitumen, wax, and Burgundy pitch which I have described accomplishes
this result and gives a tenacity and a sharpness of outline which is highly
satisfactory. The above described process enables me to transfer to a litho-
graphic stone to be printed, or to metal plates or to wood to be etched or
engraved, almost or quite any design or imprint in such a manner as to give a
sharpness of ontline and a clearness not hitherto attained, and if conducted
with reasonable care ensures great certainty in the result. When the design
is transferred upon stone in the manner I have described it may be printed
from the same as any ordinary lithographic transfer. When it is transferred
upon zinc or other metal plate it may be etched in any of the well-known
modes known to engravers, the composition of bitumen, wax, and Burgundy
pitch protecting the parts covered by them from the action of the etching
fluid. When the design is transferred upon wood it forms a clear well defined
and bold outline to guide the engraver in the execution of the work of cutting,
but this last use of these improvements will probably be of less importance,
owing to the fact that the design can be much more cheaply and readily
transferred to a metal plate and at once etched, when it will be ready for the
press.
When it is desirable to engrave in sunk lines, as is very commonly done
upon the harder metals, as copper and steel, a positive print can be taken
upon glass in the usual manner and the remainder of the process conducted as
already described.
I claim as my Invention,―
First, the combination of gelatine and permanganate of potassa or equiva-
lent salt by which the coagulation of the gelatine is wholly or partially
prevented, as herein-before set forth.

page_text: Second, the combination. of asphaltum, wax, and Burgundy pitch or their
equivalents, without the addition of greasy matter, substantially as set forth.
Third, the application of gelatine upon the surface of paper prepared with
milk, whey, or lactine, as set forth.
Fourth, the application of a composition of asphaltum or bitumen, wax,
and Burgundy pitch, or their equivalents upon a surface of permanganized
gelatine after its exposure to light and before the developement of the design,
and subsequently washing away the unlightened portions, substantially as set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Guy Morvan, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of June, in the year of our
Lord 1867.