Orotone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An Orotone or gold tone is a type of photographic print. An orotone photograph is created by printing a positive on a glass plate using a silver gelatin emulsion. Following exposure and development, the plate is flowed, traditionally with banana oil impregnated with gold colored pigment, to yield a gold-toned image.
Making orotone prints, never common, was practiced mostly in the early twentieth century, and orotones are commonly seen in interiors associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. Seattle photographer Edward S. Curtis produced hundreds of orotone photographs of Native Americans during his career. (Curtis developed a technique that was arguably superior to others who created orotones and called his version of the orotone a "Curt-tone".)
An orotone is one way of printing a negative; other types of prints can be made with the same negative. Commonly silver gelatin prints and platinotypes (platinum, palladium) prints were made and sold by those who made orotones for sale. Sally Larsen and Ryan Zoghlin are rare modern practitioners of orotone photography.
[edit] References
- Curtis, Edward Sheriff. Prayer to the Great Mystery: The Uncollected Writings and Photography of Edward S. Curtis. Edited by Gerald Hausman and Bob Kapoun. New York, St. Martin's Press, 1995.
- Gidley, Mick. Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian, Incorporated. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1998.
- Heyman, Therese Thau. Pioneer Photography of the Great Basin. Sierra Nevada Museum of Art, 1984.
