Hill & Adamson GEH 1967:0084:0059

From George Eastman House : Notes On Photographs

XRF analysis for AIPAD photographs (2009)
ID number, collection	1967:0084:0059, GEH
Title, author	*Ellen & Agnes Milne* , negative by Hill and Adamson, later print by Alvin Langdon Coburn
Date	Negative: ca. 1845; print: 1900-1918
Photographic process	Platinum print
Description	Image	Edges of the negative visible, neutral tones, deep black, no fading
	Support	Primary	Light color, discolored edges, 25.5 x 20.2 cm
	Support	Secondary	/
Instrument	Handheld TRACeR III-V Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF)
XRF settings	40 kV, 8 µA, 6mil Cu_1mil Ti_12mil Al filter, no vacuum, 300s
Objective	1-Obtain XRF analysis as part of the documentation/characterization of the prints presented at AIPAD 2009. 2-Confirm process identification. 3-Look for toning agents. 4-Look for information that can be used to characterize prints from certain periods/certain authors through XRF analysis.
Expected results	Image: Pt, Hg? Primary support:?
Instrument Operators	Caroline Barcella, Alejandra Mendoza
Data Analysis performed by	Caroline Barcella, Alejandra Mendoza, Bruce Kaiser, March 2009

Examination Area

Examination area: 3.5 x 4.5 mm

Spectrum

1- Dmax (N10) – darkest shadow area in top left quarter. Platinum and mercury are clearly visible in the spectrum and constitute the image material of the print. A small amount of iron is present in the primary support, coming either from the paper base (impurity) or from the process (residual product from the sensitizer). A small amount of lead is also present, coming either from the paper base or from the process (toning agent added to the sensitizer).

2 – Dmin (H8) – hightlight area in the top right corner. Mercury and platinum are present in small quantity in the highlights (which are not totally white). Small amount of iron and lead are also present, coming either from the paper base or from the process.

3- Subtraction spectrum: Dmax – Dmin = image material. The image material is composed of platinum and mercury. Mercury is often encountered in platinum prints, since it was used as an additive either to the sensitizer or developer to produce warmer color tones.

Bibliography

Alvin Langdon Coburn Photographer: an autobiography with over 70 reproductions of his works, edited by Helmut and Alison Gernsheim, New York, Dover Publications, 1978, p.18
Ted Rice, “Platinum/Palladium” in Coming into Focus: a step-by-step guide to alternative photographic printing processes, edited by John Barnier, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2000, p. 122
Mike Ware, “An Investigation of Platinum and Palladium Printing” in The journal of photographic science, Vol. 34, No. 5-6, pp.165-177, 1986, http://www.mikeware.co.uk/downloads/Palladium_Printing.doc, pp.19-21

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