Brooklyn CDV

[GaryPassamonte]

I have never seen that mammoth plate. Very interesting.
What about the possibility of multiple negatives from the same sitting?

[benjulmag]

Originally Posted by GaryPassamonte

I have never seen that mammoth plate. Very interesting.
What about the possibility of multiple negatives from the same sitting?

I suppose anything is possible but unless a single shoot can generate multiple negatives, I would think there would be a least some noticeable difference in the pose, no matter how minor. And if the single shoot of this pose did generate multiple negatives, wouldn't they generate prints of identical resolution?

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by benjulmag

I suppose anything is possible but unless a single shoot can generate multiple negatives, I would think there would be a least some noticeable difference in the pose, no matter how minor. And if the single shoot of this pose did generate multiple negatives, wouldn't they generate prints of identical resolution?

It depends - it's basically another photograph. Because of this, there would be differences in the composition, even if very very small.

[GaryPassamonte]

It would be ideal to have the LOC image and the CdV in hand to compare, but I don't believe that is going to happen. Given the current situation, it seems that nothing will completely dispel some doubts about the CdV. This is unfortunate because this is a CdV we would all want to be positively genuine due to its historical and hobby significance.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by GaryPassamonte

It would be ideal to have the LOC image and the CdV in hand to compare, but I don't believe that is going to happen. Given the current situation, it seems that nothing will completely dispel some doubts about the CdV. This is unfortunate because this is a CdV we would all want to be positively genuine due to its historical and hobby significance.

Gary, if a 19th century albumen expert (including yourself) took a look at it and gave your opinion, I think all doubts that mattered, would be dispelled. This is about to happen, which should be very exciting.

[oldjudge]

The following is the process to create an albumen photograph. I am no photo expert, but after reading this it appears that there could be variations in quality amongst prints made from the same negative:


The process of making an albumen print

A piece of paper, usually 100% cotton, is coated with an emulsion of egg white (albumen) and salt (sodium chloride or ammonium chloride), then dried. The albumen seals the paper and creates a slightly glossy surface for the sensitizer to rest on.
The paper is then dipped in a solution of silver nitrate and water which renders the surface sensitive to UV light.
The paper is then dried in the absence of UV light.
The dried, prepared paper is placed in a frame in direct contact under a negative. The negative is traditionally a glass negative with collodion emulsion, but this step can be performed with a modern silver halide negative, too. The paper with negative is then exposed to light until the image achieves the desired level of darkness, which is typically a little lighter than the end product. Though direct sunlight was used long ago, a UV exposure unit is preferable because it is more predictable, as the paper is most sensitive to ultraviolet light.
A bath of sodium thiosulfate fixes the print’s exposure, preventing further darkening.
Optional gold or selenium toning improves the photograph’s tone and stabilizes against fading. Depending on the toner, toning may be performed before or after fixing the print.

[drc]

Albumen prints can range in quality (light, dark, etc), cuts, placement on the card. The prints can sometimes have goofy cuts and not be straight on the card.

Albumen prints are on very thin paper, you can see the paper fibers under a microscope, and sometimes have silvering (like a patina) the dark areas of the image. They also usually have a gloss.

All 19th century real photo baseball cards (N172, N173, Gypsy Queens, Peck and Snyder, Newsboy cabinets) are albumen photos. It was the most common paper photo process of the day. I would imagine you find variations of the image qualities of these cards, and how the prints were cut and placed on the mount for the cabinet cards.