Gasparcolor Opaque
Description
“In 1944 he launched a new reflection printing material on a white-pigmented acetate base called Gasparcolor Opaque, which was, initially and for the duration of the war, available only to the U.S. military. The processing of Gasparcolor Opaque prints began with an ordinary black-and-white paper developer, followed by a first fixing bath to eliminate unexposed silver halide. Next, a bath of concentrated hydrochloric acid dye-bleach destroyed the dyes in proportion to the amount of silver present in each layer. This was followed by a silver-bleaching bath, a second fixing bath, and a final water wash. Intermediate water baths took place between the steps, and the procedure took more than an hour (Lipton 2001). Gasparcolor Opaque was manufactured by Ansco until 1946 (Koshofer 1981a: 170).18 In 1948 Gaspar and his brother Imre set up a small production operation in Hollywood, California, arid announced a mail-order printing service of Gasparcolor prints for color transparencies with chemicals manufactured to Gaspar’s specifications by DuPont (Lipton 2001).19 The new Gasparcolor Opaque had five times the exposure speed it had had during the war, better color values, greater stability, and a wide latitude of tonal range (Camera Notes 1948).20 Amateur self-processing kits were also sold for a short time but did not find commercial success because of the low sensitivity of the material and the extreme acidity and poisonous nature of the chemicals (Koshofer 1981a: 170). Gasparcolor Opaque was used mainly by commercial photographers such as Anton F. Bruehl (1900-1982) and Richard C. Miller (1912-2010), who enjoyed its vibrant colors and outstanding quality (Fig. 6.5). However, the lack of adequate coating facilities to manufacture the paper was a major drawback for the expansion of the business. In 1952 Gaspar entered into an agreement with Etablissement Bauchet of Rueil-Malmaison near Paris. For a short time, between 1953 and 1955, the French company produced its version of Gasparcolor Opaque, calling it Bauchet Color Paper.”
(Pénichon, Sylvie (2013): Twentieth Century Colour Photographs. The Complete Guide to Processes, Identification & Preservation. London, Los Angeles: Thames & Hudson, on pp. 212–214.)
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Source: Pénichon, Sylvie (2013): Twentieth Century Colour Photographs. The Complete Guide to Processes, Identification & Preservation. London, Los Angeles: Thames & Hudson, p. 235.
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Pénichon, Sylvie (2013): Twentieth Century Colour Photographs. The Complete Guide to Processes, Identification & Preservation. London, Los Angeles: Thames & Hudson, p. 228.
Secondary Sources
Pénichon, Sylvie (2013): Twentieth Century Colour Photographs. The Complete Guide to Processes, Identification & Preservation. London, Los Angeles: Thames & Hudson, on pp. 212–214 View Quote and on pp. 222–228. View Quote
