Polychrome
Description
“In 1932 Frederic Eugene Ives published details of his Polychrome printing system for making three-color paper prints or transparencies from two separation negatives made through a red and a green-blue filter. The process, described by its inventor as ‘a greatly simplified process for making color photographs suitable for the album or framing,’ would be the last contribution to color photography by the prolific Ives (Ives 1932). It used a combination of chemical toning and dye mordanting. To make a print, the red separation was printed on a silver bromide paper toned blue. The green-blue record was printed on a relief matrix film on a cellulose nitrate base similar to those used in the Eastman Wash-Off Relief process. The relief was then dyed in a dichroic red dye bath, which colored the thick areas of gelatin orange-red, while the light deposits or highlights of the image were tinted yellow.11 The dyed relief was cemented emulsion up onto the blue print with amyl acetate. This created a full-color image with only two layers (Fig. 8.4). Because of their tendency to curl on drying, Polychrome prints were usually mounted onto thick boards. A final varnish coat was often applied to protect the delicate gelatin surface (Ives 1935). The method met with tepid interest from the photographic community. Disappointed by the lack of interest in his polychrome but (wrongly) hopeful about its future success, Ives wrote in 1933, ‘I have found myself facing a dense cloud of mental fog and prejudice and incompetence…, and active opposition from people exploiting for profit older methods…bwhich my newer and simpler method will eventually supersede’ (quoted in Sipley 1951: 85).”
(Pénichon, Sylvie (2013): Twentieth Century Colour Photographs. The Complete Guide to Processes, Identification & Preservation. London, Los Angeles: Thames & Hudson, on p. 280.)
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Pénichon, Sylvie (2013): Twentieth Century Colour Photographs. The Complete Guide to Processes, Identification & Preservation. London, Los Angeles: Thames & Hudson, p. 281.
Secondary Sources
Pénichon, Sylvie (2013): Twentieth Century Colour Photographs. The Complete Guide to Processes, Identification & Preservation. London, Los Angeles: Thames & Hudson, on p. 280. View Quote
