Opalatype Photos
William Jones
I hope someone will know the answer to my question.
I have a very large photo/painting of my grandmother done in Tasmania. We
were told that my grandfather painted it, but on taking it apart recently to
clean and reseal it I noticed that it looks like it has been painted onto
white milky glass.
Had a look in Lenore Frosts great book but it didn't say much about
Opalatype photos.
It is a portrait and is very delicately coloured, looks much like a coloured
in pencil sketch. It would have been done in the early 1900's.
Can anyone help with information on how this would have been done please.
Kind regards
Rhonda Jones
Central West NSW
JWSM
The sketch-like appearance is no doubt due to touching-up, enhancing,
accentuating of an enlarged image (sometimes a painting like appearance was
desired, and the photograph was merely a guide). Ivory was also used for
small portraiture work.
On clear glass the image was usually on the reverse, and hand coloured (bit
like a slide or Lantern glass), then papered over (silver fish love it).
These effects are still possible today.
Anything more technical would require a visit to my bookcase, and a
subsequent book hunt ;-)
Ada Ackerly
>Dear Listers,
>
>I hope someone will know the answer to my question.
>
>I have a very large photo/painting of my grandmother done in Tasmania. We
>were told that my grandfather painted it, but on taking it apart recently to
>clean and reseal it I noticed that it looks like it has been painted onto
>white milky glass.
Hello Rhonda,
Most opalotype were enlarged photos printed onto a sensitized strata. The
usual emulsion was albumen (white of egg) and this also gave a "matte"
finish for watercolour, carbon paint, etc. They could give a very delicate
bloom to the female face using delicate washes of water colour paint.
Some (I used to work in museums & I've seen about twenty) were delicately
done, some were quite heavily painted with carbon watercolour.
One I saw, the lady's neck was increased by about 5 cm each side, her
collar completely redrawn to cope with that, her cheek bones brought out to
make a square jaw, her eyes redrawn to match with the new width of her
face, her hair & skull redrawn to make her skull match the rest of the
face, a new ear added (because the other had disappeared into her jaw line)
and extra hair on the top to try to bring some symmetry! The family had an
earlier photo of her, looking very ill and thin faced. We can only assume
the enlarging artist was asked to "make her look well". He succeeded in
making her look like a male agricultural labourer with a bull neck!
A warning: because the strata on the glass is usually white of egg with
chemicals added, the photo needs to be sealed from the atmosphere, because
it will dry out and begin to powder away. Just blowing on it can sometimes
lose parts of the image (but not the part covered by the water paint, which
acts as a binder and seal).
I have seen one where all that was left was the artist's watercolour additions.
I have seen another where, after taking the opalglass enlargement from the
frame & keeping it in a drawer with other photos for 10 - 15 years, the
owner took it out, thought it looked dirty and put it under a running tap
to wash off the grime. voila! The whole photo powdered off & went down the
drain! Nice big piece of glass, though.
Opalotypes were very popular 1893 to about 1900. Prior to that opalglass
was popular amongst artists particularly for flower painting in
watercolours on a strata, or in oils. (we have two dated ones in
Williamstown museum).
>Can anyone help with information on how this would have been done please.
regards,
Ada Ackerly
formerly Ackerly DocuSearch