thomas harris statement: the platinum printthomas harris statement: the platinum print title: broken...

1 Thomas Harris Statement: The Platinum Print Title: Broken Totem II Platinum Print Dimensions: 9"x 9" image / 18" x 18" frame Value: $750 The platinum print was discovered by William Willis in England in the 1870’s. When it was at last perfected by the 1880’s it was widely manufactured by the likes of Kodak and Ilford and enthusiastically used by photographers in all branches of activity in the medium. The process was a favorite of the movement called the Photo Secession for its (as they used it) romantically soft, long tonal scale and beautiful neutral gray color. It was also prized for being coated directly on the paper without the coating of gelatin or albumen necessary for silver prints (as practiced up to the present day), placing the platinum print in the tradition of older print media such as etching and aquatint. In addition to these qualities platinum is among the most permanent of photographic print methods due to the non-reactive nature of platinum and palladium metals. The commercial manufacture and distribution of platinum papers ceased around 1920 because platinum became a strategic material due to its catalytic properties.

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Thomas Harris Statement: The Platinum Print Title: Broken Totem II Platinum Print Dimensions: 9"x 9" image / 18" x 18" frame Value: $750

The platinum print was discovered by William Willis in England in the 1870’s. When it was at last perfected by the 1880’s it was widely manufactured by the likes of Kodak and Ilford and enthusiastically used by photographers in all branches of activity in the medium. The process was a favorite of the movement called the Photo Secession for its (as they used it) romantically soft, long tonal scale and beautiful neutral gray color. It was also prized for being coated directly on the paper without the coating of gelatin or albumen necessary for silver prints (as practiced up to the present day), placing the platinum print in the tradition of older print media such as etching and aquatint. In addition to these qualities platinum is among the most permanent of photographic print methods due to the non-reactive nature of platinum and palladium metals. The commercial manufacture and distribution of platinum papers ceased around 1920 because platinum became a strategic material due to its catalytic properties.
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Presently platinum is a hand-coated medium only and is mostly done with salts of palladium. Palladium and platinum seem to act in a complementary way to produce a print of improved gradation and options for print color. The method used for some of the prints is an alternative printing technique whereby the image is formed during exposure to ultraviolet light (printing out) rather the use of a developer (developing out) as in the older, original process. This method has recently come into use and is based on 19th century research that never bore fruit. Recently, I have returned to using the older developing out process for its improved contrast and tonal range and some of these prints are included in this show. In addition, I have begun using digital negatives made from film originals. The process is widely used presently for it’s relative ease of use and stability even given its expense.