"1940s look" on B/W enlargement
 

Hi everybody! Would someone be able to help me with a darkroom
question? I've been "shooting pictures" for several decades but this
semester marks my first actual darkroom experience. I have one nice
shot (35mm Tri-X) of an old (restored) vending machine in an old
(restored) train station, and nothing in the image gives any clue that
it was taken recently. What I'd like to do is make an enlargement that
somehow looks as if it was shot (and even printed?) in the 1930s or
1940s... at least something that would fool a casual viewer at first.
Does anyone here have any suggestions on how to (inexpensively) simulate
that '30s/'40s "look"? As I said, I'm a beginner in the darkroom, and
my paper on hand is Ilford Multigrade IV RC De Luxe Pearl. Thanks in
advance for any suggestions!

Adam
--
Email: rubin AT bestweb DOT net

"1940s look" on B/W enlargement
 

"Adam" wrote

make an enlargement that somehow looks as if it was shot (and even
printed?)
in the 1930s or 1940s ... Ilford Multigrade IV RC De Luxe Pearl.

1) Sepia toner and a dip in weak tea to stain the
whites to a beige color.

2) Matting spray: Paper was often a dull matte finish,
RC Pearl looks distinctly modern.

3) Don't over enlarge: large negatives were the norm
and so old pictures are often grainless - unless
they were 35mm, of course, when they had enormous
grain, but 35mm wasn't the norm for still life pics.

4) Mount to thin cardboard, sand the edges smooth, a
little bit of a crease in one corner. Maybe a small
stain.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Darkroom Automation: F-Stop Timers, Enlarging Meters
http://www.darkroomautomation/index.htm
n o lindan at ix dot netcom dot com

"1940s look" on B/W enlargement
 

"Adam" wrote

make an enlargement that somehow looks as if it was shot (and even
printed?) in the 1930s or 1940s ...

A good site with lots of examples of what people
expect an old photograph to look like:

http://www.squareamerica.com/

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Darkroom Automation: F-Stop Timers, Enlarging Meters
http://www.darkroomautomation/index.htm
n o lindan at ix dot netcom dot com

"1940s look" on B/W enlargement
 

On Thu, 08 Mar 2007 20:28:52 -0500, Adam
wrote:

Hi everybody! Would someone be able to help me with a darkroom
question? I've been "shooting pictures" for several decades but this
semester marks my first actual darkroom experience. I have one nice
shot (35mm Tri-X) of an old (restored) vending machine in an old
(restored) train station, and nothing in the image gives any clue that
it was taken recently. What I'd like to do is make an enlargement that
somehow looks as if it was shot (and even printed?) in the 1930s or
1940s... at least something that would fool a casual viewer at first.
Does anyone here have any suggestions on how to (inexpensively) simulate
that '30s/'40s "look"? As I said, I'm a beginner in the darkroom, and
my paper on hand is Ilford Multigrade IV RC De Luxe Pearl. Thanks in
advance for any suggestions!

Adam

Print slightly dark on a good fiber-based paper (preferably Galerie),
bleach back to normal density with Farmers and lightly tone with a
brown toner.

==
John S. Douglas
Photographer & Webmaster
Legacy-photo.com - Xs750.net

"1940s look" on B/W enlargement
 

Adam wrote:
Hi everybody! Would someone be able to help me with a darkroom
question?

I'd save yourself a lot of trouble. Print it on normaly and then matt it
with a slightly off white matt and put it in a beat up frame with
lightly scratched glass you get at a yard sale or thrift store.

While people associtate sepia tone with age, it's the turn of the 20th
century they are thinking about. The yellowing of paper which also is
associated with age came with high acid paper which was not produced
until after the second world war. The off white matt will suggest
it anyway.

IMHO people will see the scratched frame and glass and assume it's old.

You will get comments like, "nice picture, why don't you reframe it". :-)

Geoff.
--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 Fax ONLY: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

Ilford Galerie is very nice, also consider Kentmere Kentona.

"1940s look" on B/W enlargement
 

On Fri, 9 Mar 2007 13:41:46 +0000, Keith Tapscott.
wrote:

Ilford Galerie is very nice, also consider Kentmere Kentona.

Very similar ?

==
John S. Douglas
Photographer & Webmaster
Legacy-photo.com - Xs750.net

"1940s look" on B/W enlargement
 

Nicholas O. Lindan wrote:
make an enlargement that somehow looks as if it was shot (and even
printed?)
in the 1930s or 1940s ... Ilford Multigrade IV RC De Luxe Pearl.

1) Sepia toner and a dip in weak tea to stain the
whites to a beige color.

2) Matting spray: Paper was often a dull matte finish,
RC Pearl looks distinctly modern.

I'll have to see if the college photo lab has sepia toner (haven't used
any toner yet) and matting spray. If not, maybe one of the art studios
in the same building will have matting spray. The weak tea I can
provide myself! Maybe I can get a sheet or two of warm-tone paper from
someone... that might be a step in the right direction.

A good site with lots of examples of what people
expect an old photograph to look like:

http://www.squareamerica.com/

Thanks, Nicholas! That's a good reference. Someone in r.p.e.35mm just
posted a link to http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5010
which has photos (mostly exteriors) of NYC from 1900 through 1970 or so.
Also, you finally got me thinking: two miles from where I live is the
FDR home/library/museum (Franklin Delano Roosevelt was U.S. President
from 1933 to 1945), which of course will have a LOT of photos from that
time. Thanks again for your advice!

Adam

"1940s look" on B/W enlargement
 

John wrote:
an enlargement that somehow looks as if it was shot (and even
printed?) in the 1930s or 1940s...

Print slightly dark on a good fiber-based paper (preferably Galerie),
bleach back to normal density with Farmers and lightly tone with a
brown toner.

Thanks, John! That's a little beyond what we've been taught so far, but
if I can get those supplies I'll give it a try.

Adam

"1940s look" on B/W enlargement
 

Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
I'd save yourself a lot of trouble. Print it on normaly and then matt it
with a slightly off white matt and put it in a beat up frame with
lightly scratched glass you get at a yard sale or thrift store.

Thanks, Geoff! I might do just that once the course is over. Right now
the instructor just wants 8x10 enlargements. That's a great idea, though!

Adam