PREPARING MATERIALS FOR AND FOR IMPARTING TO PHOTOGRAPHS AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS OF ALL KINDS THE TONES AND TINTS OF NATURAL COLOURS FOR RENDERING THEIR REPRESENTATIONS MORE REAL AND LIFELIKE & FOR
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harry Robert Newton, of 43, Seymour Street, Hyde Park,
London, for the Invention of "PREPARING MATERIALS FOR AND FOR IMPARTING
TO PHOTOGRAPHS AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS OF ALL KINDS THE TONES AND
TINTS OF NATURAL COLOURS FOR RENDERING THEIR REPRESENTATIONS MORE
REAL AND LIFELIKE & FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN MOUNTING THEM & COUPLING
THEM TOGETHER, AND IN. ENCLOSING THEM IN OR BETWEEN GLASS, METAL,
LEATHER, WOOD, VULCANITE, AND OTHER FRAMES OR CASES OR ORNAMENTS,.
PARTS OF ALL OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harry Robert, Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th February 1878.
"PREPARING
HARRY ROBERT NEWTON, of 43, Seymour St., Hyde Park, London.
MATERIALS FOR AND FOR IMPARTING TO PHOTOGRAPHS AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS
OF ALL KINDS THE TONES AND TINTS OF NATURAL COLOURS FOR RENDERING
THEIR REPRESENTATIONS MORE REAL AND LIFELIKE & FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN
MOUNTING THEM & COUPLING THEM TOGETHER, AND IN ENCLOSING THEM IN OR
BETWEEN GLASS, METAL, LEATHER, WOOD, VULCANITE, AND OTHER FRAMES OR
CASES OR ORNAMENTS, PARTS OF ALL OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL
PURPOSES."
And consists in preparing albumenized, gelatinized, plain paper, or other photo-
graphs, or other illustrations, similarly coated or not on one or both sides, or with
fibrine or analogous or other substances, and all macerated materials, for example
from the thinnest tissue and paper to the thickest cardboard, and all fibrous or woven
substances or fabrics, for example, from the thinnest silk guaze to the thickest linen
or calico, all either plain, coloured, or parti-coloured or similarly coated, by removing
all size, dressing, foreign or other matter contained therein, by immersion in warın
or cold solutions of chloride of lime, soda, benzole, volatile oils or essences, sulphuric,
acetic, or other acids, as may be required from the particular manufacture of the

page_text: various substances to be operated on, or from the quality of specially prepared
materials or fabrics or other substances, and when cleansed in soft or other waters,
immersing them by preference in a bath of warm Canada balsam in its natural
state, or in other gums or resins dissolved in benzole, fixed, drying, volatile, or other
oils, and when saturation is complete drawing them out between glass or other
rollers or plates, removing thereby nearly all the excess of liquid with which the
material or substance is saturated, and from which when set the remaining encrusta-
tion can be removed by benzole, or by fixed, drying, volatile, or other oils, so that
according to the transparency or semi-transparency required, the natural or other
surfaces may be left exposed, and when according to the condition obtained water,
gum, transparent, body, powder, oil, varnish, printing or other colours or pigments,
or chalks, stains, or dyes, can be laid on to the front, back, or on to similarly prepared
or oiled, plain, or coloured, or parti-coloured macerated or woven materials in single
thicknesses or layers, or other substances on or in front of or between which they
are to be mounted, such substances, namely, being plain & tinted and coloured
glass, opal, enamel, japan, vulcanite, china, earthenware, or gelatine, painted,
varnished, and oiled papers and cardboards, and woven substances, or painted wood
or ivory, the two latter of which to prevent warping are put together to any size
in thin small cross pieces with bevelled lapping edges, and in as many thicknesses as
the size requires.
My Invention also consists in stretching such photographs or other illustrations
on or between perforated metal or other frames, and mounting them on or in front
of or between them, and fixing them on to similar or other naturally or artificially
coloured or tinted photographs or other illustrations, materials, or substances, as
before described, and also for taking and printing photographs on paper, as before
described, mounted on similar perforated metal, vulcanite, or other frames, and for
using such perforated or other frames for forming thin folding albums fixed on con-
tinuous lengths of woven substances, ribbon, leather, parchment, paper, or other
flexible materials, and for applying the method of mounting the photographs or other
illustrations to metal and other lockets, or ornaments, or cases, designed to shew by
means of double continuous rollers or revolving centres, one, two, or more photographs
or other illustrations, and for the ready changing them with or without opening the
metal or other ornamental enclosures or cases, within which they are contained, the
varying parts of all of which are applicable to other useful purposes, thus for
instance the prepared papers and woven substances, and the method of mounting
provide a new medium or ground capable of being toned as required for the better
Juminous production and preservation of pictures and paintings generally in oil,
water, or other colours, and for drawing, and tracing, and transparent uses.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Harry Robert Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th
August 1878.
HARRY ROBERT NEWTON, 43, Seymour St., Hyde Park, London. "PREPARING
MATERIALS FOR AND FOR IMPARTING TO PHOTOGRAPHS AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS
OF ALL KINDS THE TONES AND TINTS OF NATURAL COLOURS FOR RENDERING
THEIR REPRESENTATIONS MORE REAL AND LIFELIKE, AND FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN
MOUNTING THEM AND COUPLING THEM TOGETHER, AND IN ENCLOSING THEM IN OR
BETWEEN GLASS, METAL, LEATHER, WOOD, VULCANITE, AND OTHER FRAMES OR
CASES OR ORNAMENTS, PARTS OF ALL OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL
PURPOSES."
And consists in preparing albumenized, gelatinized, plain paper, or other photo-
graphs, or other illustrations, similarly coated or not on one or both sides, or with
fibrine or analogous or other substances, and all macerated materials, for example,
from the thinnest tissue paper to the thickest cardboard, and all fibrous or woven
substances or fabrics, for example, from the thinnest silk gauze to the thickest
linen or calico, all either plain, coloured, or parti-coloured, or similarly coated, by
removing all size, dressing, foreign, or other matter contained therein, by immersion
in warm or cold solutions of chloride of lime, soda, benzole, volatile oils or essences,
sulphuric, acetic, or other acids, as may be required from the particular manufacture
of the various substances to be operated on, or from the quality of specially prepared
materials or fabrics, or other substances, and when cleansed in soft or other waters;
immersing them by preference in a bath of warm Canada balsam in its natural state,
or in other gums or resins dissolved in benzole, fixed, drying, volatile, or other oils,
and when saturation is complete drawing them out between glass or other rollers or
plates, removing thereby nearly all the excess of liquid with which the material or
substance is saturated, and from which when set the remaining-encrustation can be
removed by benzole or by fixed, drying, volatile, or other oils, so that according to
the transparency or semi-transparency required the natural or other surfaces may be
left exposed, and when according to the condition obtained water, gum, transparent,
body, powder, cil, varnish, printing, and other colours or pigments, or chalks, stains,
or dyes, can be laid on to the front, back, or on to similarly prepared or oiled, plain,
or coloured, or parti-coloured, macerated, or woven materials, in single thickness or
layers, or other substances, on or in front of or between which they are to be mounted,
such substances mainly being plain and tinted and coloured glass, opal, enamel,
japan, vulcanite, china, earthenware, or gelatine, painted, varnished, and oiled papers,
and cardboards, and woven substances, or painted wood or ivory, the two latter of
which to prevent warping are put together to any size in thin cross pieces with
bevelled lapping edges, and in as many thicknesses as the size requires.
My Invention also consists in stretching such photographs or other illustrations
on or between perforated metal or other frames, and mounting them on or in front
of or between them, and fixing them on to similar or other naturally or artificially
coloured or tinted photographs or other illustrations, materials, or substances, as
before described, and also for taking and printing photographs on paper, as before
described, mounted on similar perforated metal, vulcanite, or other frames, and for
using such perforated or other frames for forming thin folding albums fixed on
continuous lengths of woven substances, ribbon, leather, parchinent, paper, or other
dexible materials, and for applying the method of mounting the photographs or
other illustrations to metal and other lockets, or ornaments, or cases, designed to
shew by double continuous rollers or revolving centres, one, two, or more photographs,
or other illustrations, and for the ready changing them with or without opening the
metal or other ornamental enclosures or cases within which they are contained,.
the varying parts of all of which are applicable to other useful purposes, thus, for:
nstance, the prepared papers and woven substances, and the method of mounting:
provide a new medium or ground capable of being toned as required, for the better

page_text: :
luminous production and preservation of pictures and paintings generally in oil,
water, or other colours, and for drawing, tracing, and transparent uses.
In order that my said Invention may be better understood and carried into effect,
I proceed to describe the same more in detail.
:
The making all photographs and other illustrations transparent or semi-transparent-
by saturation as described is for the purpose of mounting them on various materials,
plain or coloured, and on white and coloured linens and lawns, and raw and coloured
silks and guazes, and which have also been made transparent or semi-transparent,
and prepared for mounting on a clear white ground, having first delicately covered
with proper shades and tones in oil, water; body, or other colours, or stains, or dyes,
the high and white lights, and any other small or other objects or parts to be
coloured at discretion in photographs, &c., &c., the usually better but not invariable
course being to colour out only very small parts or features, leaving the broader
surfaces and features undisturbed, and this is done by putting either of the various
ordinary kinds of colours or materials or liquids on the back or front of the photo-
graph or illustrations where required, or else on the front of the prepared base, and
by preference I use body colour with isinglass or size, the effect of which is that the
. light transmitted upwards from the lowest ground has a blending effect, and a
translucency for all colours it can penetrate above it, and which is of the first
importance for flesh colours, to avoid what is called," chalkiness" in appearance,
and to obtain this by saturation as aforesaid,, Canada balsam is employed by
preference, though nearly all other gums and resins give a somewhat similar result,
but lack a certain class of necessary purity and toughness, changing thereby the
quality of the reflecting power: Oil is also used, and when in combination with
Canada balsam and other gums or resins only sparingly, for a toughening" action
that is to destroy brittleness...
To prepare the various grounds or bases a pure white gelatine; glazed paper (or
any smooth painted, or glazed, or enamelled: material is stretched on a frame,
sizing it strongly at the back to prevent saturation, on this is mounted with Canada
balsam any flesh-tinted or other silk guaze of whatever degree of tone necessary,
and thin or thick, and in one or more layers as required. Over that again is
mounted in a similar way linen or lawn of whatever coarseness or fineness required,
and in one or more layers, and this forms the flesh base in portraiture, and the
ground base in general subjects.
To form the upper coloured base a tracing. on stiffish gelatine is made of the
principle lines of the subject, and the lines marked on the gelatine are then cut
through as in stencil plates. As many coloured squares of paper (thick or thin) or
squares of silk, according to judgement, are then taken, as the intended colouring
of the photograph or illustration necessitates, and when required for flesh subjects
one additional layer of white linen; the gelatine stencil plate is then put over all
these squares. of paper and pressed down firmly, and while so held the different
thicknesses of the coloured or other paper or materials are cut through, the cut in
the lines of the stencil plate guiding the cutting point, so that all thicknesses are
correspondingly cut at one operation. One of each of these is then mounted on
the flesh or ground base covering it over entirely, and then (the small parts being
coloured out, & which is best done when mounted on metal frames or mounts) the
photographs or illustrations are mounted in the same manner on the prepared bases
or grounds, ordinary bookbinders' cloth is then mounted on the back, the edges
turned over on to the front, and hermetically sealed down as it were by varnishing
over afterwards.
There are different and various ways of approaching somewhat towards the same
result, among them the lower prepared base could be printed in colours in the
ordinary way, but the risk of inaccuracy in shrinking, printing, and otherwise, in
high class works and delicate subjects would probably interfere with its general
application, besides which there is always a loss of translucency in dealing with
opaque colours.
In colouring, by hand the photograph, &c., &c., on the prepared base the foregoing

page_text: difficulties do not exist, though there is greater care required in getting evenness of
tone, tint, and colouring.
The foregoing system, though referred to especially for portraiture, as flesh colours
and tones are the most difficult to obtain and the most important to achieve,
applicable to any class of subject in any photograph or illustration.
All the different substances mentioned as well as others form in a greater or less
degree materials to operate on to produce the foregoing results, especially ivory, but
the grain and the non-absorbent properties, and perhaps the opacity of that material
seem to prevent it returning that depth of reflexion which can otherways be obtained,
and which is essentially necessary, so as to take off the ordinary hardness of features
and outlines that are in a greater or lesser degree characteristic of photographs and
other illustrations.
Somewhat similar effects to those herein-before described can be obtained by the
insertion. between the photograph or illustration so prepared, and the coloured and
toned base underneath of a metal, card, or other frame, so that the representation
is lifted up from the surface of the base, and a blending and softening effect is
obtained irrespective of the materials of which the base is composed, but more
powerful and violent colours have to be used, and more care taken in treatment
though the base can be coarsely and roughly formed, as the absence of impact with
the lower layer ceases to require delicacy of adjustment, and where it is possible to
obtain excessively thin patent plate glass, it is best to mount the photograph, &c., &c.,
between two pieces, and then mount the coloured base on the lower glass, finishing
with a cloth back and turning over the edges as previously described.
The different and varions materials employed can be either highly polished or else
have a ground surface, according to whether the effect is desired to be bright and
sparkling or subdued, and the greater the care and the greater the evenness of the
materials used, the more perfect will be the effect.in general, and in treating photo
graphs or illustrations so prepared as transparencies by placing daylight or artificial
light behind them.
12
In preparing paper for photographs (the printing and taking of which is chemically
performed in the ordinary way) I find that better results than ordinary are obtained
by mounting the paper first on vulcanite or similar classes of frames before coating
it or sensitizing it, the more so as very much thinner paper can be employed than is
ordinarily used, the impact with the negative seems more complete. and even, and
the positive therefore relatively better printed, besides which the sensitized surface
is kept more flat, while drying no creasing takes place, and the whole of the
operations of manipulation can also be more easily carried out, and what is perhaps
more important, without the photograph or illustration being touched by the hand.
For the better preserving and exhibiting photographs, &c., &c., so treated (and
whether in the first instance mounted on perforated metal frames or not) all mounting
frames have perforated edges, so as to be able to sew them round those sides on
ribbon (or other endless material) back and front, leaving the bottom ends open
until the illustration has been inserted; the whole can then fold up (being fastened
continuously) very closely, and in a similar way to an ordinary album, and with a
separate or fixed case attached thereto.
In the same way photographs, &c., &c., mounted without frames on continuous
lengths of materials are wound round double rollers, large or small, and inserted in
wooden cases or frames for standing on tables or otherwise, so that with handles.to
the ends or centres of rollers they can be turned round forwards or backwards
without opening the case, and which arrangement in miniature is carried out for
lockets or other ornaments, so as to have a number of portraits or illustrations
within one enclosure, and changeable with or without opening the frame, case,
locket, bracelet, or other article.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and how the same can be carried into operation, I would have it under-
stood that what I desire to secure under the herein-before Letters Patent are, the
several modes and methods and appliances herein mentioned for dealing each in

page_text: their degree with the treatment of photographs and all other illustrations, and that
I claim the uses of all or any of them in that or other ways, and the application of
silks and guazes, linens and lawns, plain or coloured, prepared transparent or other-
wise, using them according to size or otherwise in a greater or lesser degree of
coarseness or fineness, and that I do not bind or limit myself by the recited
particulars and explanations against the free use of the liquifying or other agents or
of colours of whatsoever sort besides coloured materials, as in all works of art, the
effect of blending or contrast in colour is obtained by placing colours of different
qualities in juxtaposition by different means, methods, and applications, according to
ever varying circumstances, combinations, and natural conditions.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harry Robert Newton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord 1878.
HARRY ROBERT NEWTON (IS)