IMPROVEMENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHING UPON WOOD, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF WOOD. CANVAS. SILK. GLASS. AND OTHER SUBSTANCES FOR THE PURPOSE OF RECEIVING AND RETAINING IMPRESSIONS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Smith, of 12, St. Ann's Gardens,
Haverstock Hill, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHING UPON WOOD, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF
WOOD. CANVAS. SILK. GLASS. AND OTHER SUBSTANCES FOR THE PURPOSE OF
RECEIVING AND RETAINING IMPRESSIONS,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Smith
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 26th April 1865.
I, WILLIAM HENRY SMITH, of 12, St. Ann's Gardens, Haverstock Hill,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHING UPON WOOD, AND IN THE
PREPARATION OP WOOD, CANVAS, SILK GLASS, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES FOR THE
PURPOSE OF RECEIVING AND RETAINING IMPRESSIONS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in photographing on wood,
and in the preparation of wood, paper, papierè machè, china, earthenware,
glass, canvas, silk, and other substances and fabrics. These improvements
consists of the application of two substances in succession. The first sub-
stance is composed of balata, india-rubber, gutta percha, or any gum or resin

page_text: of a like nature dissolved in benzole or in any other hydro-carbonacious
liquid. The second substance is composed of collodion and gelatine or any
gelatinous substance in a state of decomposition or liquid state, of spirits
of wine and of nitrate of silver, the nitrate of silver being mixed with a
chloride, a bromide, or an iodide, or salts of an analogous nature. To pre-
pare wood, paper, papierè machè, china, carthenware, glass, canvas, silk,
and other substances and fabrics for the reception of photographic im-
pressions. I first apply the firstly described substance, giving a coating of
it; when it is dry, I apply the secondly described substance in a similar
manner; this forms the surface upon which the photographic impressions
are taken. In certain cases I use gelatine with spirits of wine and an oiley
matter in the first coating in lieu of the firstly named substance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Henry Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 26th October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY SMITH, of 12, St. Ann's Gardens, Haverstock Hill, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Henry Smith, Her special licence that I, the said
William Henry Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Heury Smith, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHING UPON WOOD. AND IN THE
PREPARATION OF WOOD, CANVAS, SILK, GLASS, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES FOR THE
PURPOSE OF RECEIVING AND RETAINING IMPRESSIONS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Henry Smith, 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

page_text: 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 William Henry Smith, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what mauner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in photographing onwood,
and in the preparation of wood, paper, papier mâche, china, earthenware,
glass, canvas, silk, and other objects for the reception of photographic
impressions. These improvements consist in the application of twosubstances
in succession to the object on which it is desired to produce a photographic
impression. The first substance forms a base in the pores and interstises, or
on the surface of the said object for the deposition of the second substance,
which is sensitized to make it receptive of photographic impressions. The
first substance I call a base, and the second substance I call a receptive.
There are many varieties of both bases and receptives as regards their
ingredients. The bases are composed of valata, india-rubber, gutta percha,
or any gum or resin of a like nature dissolved in benzole or in any other
hydro-carbonaceous liquid, or it is formed of gelatine and spirits of wine or an
oily matter. The receptives are composed of collodion and gelatine or
any gelatinous substance in a state of decomposition or liquid state, of spirits
of wine and of nitrate of silver; the nitrate of silver being mixed with a
chloride, a bromide, or an iodide, or some salt having similar qualitics.
The nature of my said Invention is more fully set forth in the following
description I first proceed to describe the manner in which I carry into
effect the said improvement in photographing upon wood and in the
preparation of wood for the purpose of receiving photographic impressions.
I first prepare a base as above defined, which for the sake of reference I call
base No. 1, consisting of valata, gutta percha, or india-rubber dissolved in
benzole or any other liquid hydrocarbon in the following proportions:-12
grains of valata, gutta percha, or india-rubber to one ounce of benzole orother
hydrocarbon, preferring for most purposes, however, the solution made with
valata and benzole; or, I make an aqueous solution (which for the sake of
reference
substance. I then apply one of the bases No. 1 or No. 2 to the wood, and
coat the wood until the pores of the wood are filled up and a smooth surface
obtained. I prefer for some descriptions of wood 'ase No. 1. I next
prepare a resceptive as above defined being an aqueous solution, which for
call base No. 2), of pelt, gelatine, or any other gelatinous

page_text: sake of reference I call solution No. 1, consisting of 12 parts of gelatine
and 5 parts of honey in 250 parts of water, and I allow this to decompose,
and when reduced to a liquid state by natural decomposition I take one ounce
of this and dissolve in it a chloride or a bromide (if chloride of cadmium
2 grains), 1 grain of the tincture of iodine and 1 grain of tartaric, citric, or
any other acid of similar qualities This mixture I call solution No. 2.
I then take another ounce of the aqueous solution (before referred to as
No. 1), and dissolve in it 12 grains of nitrate of silver, and add the solution
to the before-named solution No. 2; this forms the receptive which I call
receptive No. 1 for distinction, and this I apply to the wood either with a
brush or by floating the wood on a bath of the said receptive No. 1 for
5 minutes, more or less, and afterwards allowing it to dry. When the
receptive No. 1 is dried on the wood I place it in contact with a negative
photographic plate or in the solar camera and print upon it in the usual
manner employed for photographing on paper. As soon as the wood endued
with a base and receptive as aforesaid is printed it is removed and washed
with water and then toned with an aqueous solution consisting of two ounces
of sulpho-cyanide of ammonium and two grains of chloride ofgold in 20 ounces
of water, or in any other alkali gold toning baths used in photography. It
is then removed from the toning bath and washed and dried. Instead of
applying to the wood the receptive No. 1 it is sometimes advantageous to use
a collodion solution which I make in the following manner, and call receptive
No. 2-1 take linen or fiue flax and dip it into a solution of boiling caustic
alkali; I then plunge it in boiling water to free it from the alkali and then
dry it, and when it is dry I make a pyroxyline by dissolving 15 drachms of
the linen or fine flax so treated as aforesaid in 3 ounces of nitric acid
specific gravity 1.420, and 3 ounces of sulphuric acid, specific gravity, 1.840.
This I call for distinction receptive No. 2.
Secondly, I proceed to describe the manner in which I carry into effect the
said improvements in the preparation of papier mâche, china, carthenware,
glass, canvas, silk, and other objects. 1 apply the base No. 1 before described
to the object which I desire to render sensitive to photographic impressions
until the pores or interstices of the objects are filled, and then I allow the
said base to dry on the said object, and when the said base is dry I apply a
receptive, which I call receptive No. 3, consisting of 1 ounce of receptive
No. 2 as a chloride or bromide (if chloride of cadmium 4 grains), 3 grains of
tincture of iodine, and one grain of tartaric, citric, or any other acid of similar
qualities until the object is coated. I then sensitize the said coating by
immersing it in a nitrate of silver bath containing 35 grains of nitrate to the

page_text: ounce of water. I then withdraw the said object from the bath, and while
still wet I coat it with an aqueous solution, which I call solution No. 3, for
distinction composed of 10 parts of gelatine and 5 parts of honey in 300 parts
of water, and when dry I print, tone, and fix as before described for wood.
I lastly proceed to describe another method by which I carry into effect
the said improvements in the preparation of wood, canvas, and other sub-
siances or objects to receive photographic impressions. I make a base,
which I call for distinction base No.3, consisting of 200 parts of water, 12 parts
of gelatine and washed whiting about 24 parts, more or less, according to the
water it contains, and one part of linseed or other oil, and I apply this base
No. 3 to the object I wish to prepare for photographic impressions until
all the pores and interstices of the said object are filled up and a body is ob-
tained, and I then smooth the dry base so dry with pumice stone and water.
I then apply to the said object the receptive No. 1, or the last-named aqueous
solution of gelatine and honey, or with the collodion solution before named,
and sensitised in mauner before mentioned. In certain cases iron may be
used in combination with silver in place of the chloride salts; the before-
mentioned quantities may be varied according to circumstances, but I have
mentioned the average quantities which I have found necessary to use.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, the use of valata
in forming a base as herein-before defined, and called base No. 1, also the use
of whiting, gelatine, and the oily matter as above mentioned in forming a
base, and called base No. 3. Also the use of the compound of gelatine,
iodine, a chloride or bromide, nitrate of silver, and the other things as above
described and called receptive No. 1. Also the use of the aqueous solution
of gelatine and honey above described and called solution No. 3. I make
this claim subject to the reservation above contained respecting the quan-
tities of the various materials being varied.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Smith, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-five.
W. H. SMITH. (L.S.)