Franz Fiedler (1885-1956)

SUMMER SHADOW PLAY

c. 1909
Bromoil print on heavyweight paper, 21.4 × 28.5 cm (29.7 × 34.5 cm). Recto, signed in pencil by the author below the photograph at lower right "Franz Fiedler"; verso inscribed in pencil with the technique "bromolejový přetisk". Small loss to the upper right corner, upper left corner bent, traces of mounting along the top edge on verso. Provenance: from the estate of PhDr. Antonín Dufek. The bromoil transfer print is one of the examples of noble photographic processes that were widely used in Czechoslovakia up until the First International Photographic Salon in Prague in 1928. That salon indirectly triggered a heated debate in the pages of Fotografický obzor in the same year (Rudolf Paďouk: Proti proudu; Jan Lauschmann: Po proudu; Josef Šubr: Po proudu a proti proudu; and satirically concluded by Přemysl Koblic with Mezi proudy) on the use of noble processes and so-called “soft focus.” The ultimate outcome of these polemics was the relatively rapid disappearance of both tendencies from the domestic photographic scene. A bromoil transfer was created by taking a conventional bromosilver photograph developed in the usual way, then bleaching it—most often in a solution of potassium dichromate with acid additives. This converted the original metallic silver into soluble compounds, which were subsequently removed in a fixing bath (sodium thiosulfate). What remained in the emulsion was only the gelatin relief, differentially hardened according to the original density of the image. In the originally darker areas, the gelatin was harder and absorbed less water; in the lighter parts it was softer and absorbed more readily. The prepared positive was moistened, and oil-based ink was applied to its surface. The wet (formerly light) areas repelled the ink and absorbed it poorly, while the dry and harder areas (formerly dark) retained it better. The resulting image was therefore made not of elemental silver, but of oil-based pigment (of virtually any colour). This image could either remain on the original paper (bromoil print) or be transferred under pressure to a new, clean sheet (bromoil transfer print). In the latter case, the result was a laterally reversed image composed entirely of oil-based pigment, without any gelatin emulsion or silver. The final print, in its mood, strongly resembled traditional graphic techniques such as etching or aquatint, and usually had greater durability than classic bromosilver photographs—although its actual longevity depended on the quality of the paper and pigments used.