i live in asmall town in ma. i am starting top rint and archive an extensive collection of glass plates taken by a women photographer in the 1880's to early 1900's does anyone have an 8x10 enlarger they could donate or need only a small compensation so i can print 6/12 x 8/12 plates we are non- profit and would use any help for fund raising to help build an archive thanks a lot lee nadel

-- lee nadel (photonoodl@nii.net), August 17, 1999

Answers

The fact that the photographer was a woman is nice, but it is the quality of the images that should matter. Why not make contact prints of the images. This will replicate the conditions of print making from the era they came from and will lessen the need for an enlarger and lens, thus keeping the costs to a minimum. Take a good look at Amidol and Azo as a combination for printing the plates, or mix your own solutions of platinum, palladium, carbon or other processes that may have been used at the time. If you do go the Amidol/azo route, check Michael A. Smiths formula in View Camera. The results are excellent and the paper dates from the time of the plates you have. As for donations, you might find someone to do so. But be aware that as much as many might like to donate, we all have local schools, arts organizations, museums and historical societies where we live that are also asking for donations-equipment, time and talent. The delimma you face is the same as most small organizations, it never ends. The contact print route is probably the safest, least costly and historically accurate way to solve the problem.

-- Dan Smith (shooter@brigham.net), August 17, 1999.

You can get the complete Michael A. Smith article on-line at his website www.michaelandpaula.com

-- Sean yates (yatescats@yahoo.com), August 17, 1999.

Lee,

I think yours is an extremely worthwhile project. Women have been written out of history for too long.

I agree that contact printing is the way to go. But dont be intimidated by the Azo/Amidol stuff, let alone platinum, palladium or carbon printing, which are highly esoteric and expensive processes which only a handful of people today have mastered. Any good enlarging paper will give you fine prints if you know how to use it.

http://www.ravenvision.com/rvapeter.htm

-- Peter Hughes (leonine@redshift.com), August 18, 1999.

Sean, is that the right website for Michael Smith, I tried it and got nothing. Pat

-- pat j. krentz (krentz@cci-29palms.com), August 19, 1999.

I don't know Pat, it's http://www.michaelandpaula.com. Maybe try copying this to the address line of your browser?

-- Sean yates (yatescats@yahoo.com), August 20, 1999.