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Collotype is a
gelatin Gelatin or gelatine (from la, gelatus meaning "stiff" or "frozen") is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also ...
-based photographic printing process invented by Alphonse Poitevin in 1855 to print images in a wide variety of tones without the need for halftone screens. The majority of collotypes were produced between the 1870s and 1920s. It was the first form of photolithography.


Invention

Collotype originates front the Greek word "kola" for glue. Poitevin patented the idea of collotype printing the same year it was invented in 1855. The process was shown in 1859 by F. Joubert.


Process


Poitevin's Collotype

In Poitevin's process, a lithographic stone was coated with a light-sensitive
gelatin Gelatin or gelatine (from la, gelatus meaning "stiff" or "frozen") is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also ...
solution and exposed to a photographic transparency. The gelatin would harden in exposed areas, leading to the stone becoming
hydrophobic In chemistry, hydrophobicity is the physical property of a molecule that is seemingly repelled from a mass of water (known as a hydrophobe). In contrast, hydrophiles are attracted to water. Hydrophobic molecules tend to be nonpolar and, th ...
in light areas (and thus, ink-repelling) and
hydrophilic A hydrophile is a molecule or other molecular entity that is attracted to water molecules and tends to be dissolved by water.Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon'' Oxford: Clarendon Press. In contrast, hydrophobes are no ...
under dark areas (ink-attracting). The stone was then printed via the standard lithographic process, producing a
monochrome A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, monochrom ...
print.


1860s Developments

In 1865, Tessie du Motay and C. R. Marechal applied the gelatin to a
copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
plate, which was easier to handle than a lithographic stone. However, the gelatin did not adhere well and limited print runs to about 100. In 1868, Joseph Albert and Jakub Husník applied a gelatin-
albumen Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms arou ...
mixture to
glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of ...
, which was then coated with light-sensitized gelatin. This allowed print runs of up to 1,000. This patent was later purchased by Edward Bierstadt, who developed one of the first commercial collotype companies in New York City.


Later collotype

The collotype plate is made by coating a plate of glass or metal with a substrate composed of gelatin or other colloid and hardening it. Then it is coated with a thick coat of dichromated gelatin and dried carefully at a controlled temperature (a little over 50°
Celsius The degree Celsius is the unit of temperature on the Celsius scale (originally known as the centigrade scale outside Sweden), one of two temperature scales used in the International System of Units (SI), the other being the Kelvin scale. The ...
) so it "reticulates" or breaks up into a finely grained pattern when washed later in approximately 16 °C water. The plate is then exposed in contact with the negative using an
ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...
(UV) source which changes the ability of the exposed gelatin to absorb water later. The plate is developed by carefully washing out the dichromate salt and dried without heat. The plate is left in a cool dry place to cure for 24 hours before using it to print. Related processes, or processes developed from collotype, or even alternate names for collotype include albertype, alethetype, autocopyist, artotype, gelatinotypy, heliotype, hydrotype, indotint, ink-photo, leimtype, lichtdruck, papryrotype, photogelatin, photophane, phototype, Roto-Collotype, Rye’s, and Sinop.


Color collotype or chromocollotype

In 1874, Joseph Albert produced the first color collotypes with three collotype plates, each inked in a different color. In 1882, the Hoeschtype, which used six plates, was patented.


Combination processes


Mezzograph collotype

Mezzograph was a trade name used by Valentine Co. Ltd. of Scotland, for their multicolored postcards, printed in a hybrid process where colors were printed via
photolithography In integrated circuit manufacturing, photolithography or optical lithography is a general term used for techniques that use light to produce minutely patterned thin films of suitable materials over a substrate, such as a silicon wafer, to protect ...
and then overprinted in black or blue collotype for the "outlines" of the image.


Halftone collotype

Halftone collotype processes combine halftone printing and collotype. These include the Jaffetype, developed in Vienna; the Aquatone, developed and patented by Robert John in the United States in 1922; the Gelatone process, introduced in 1939; and the Optak process, introduced in 1946.


Characteristics

Collotype was most often printed in
monochrome A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, monochrom ...
in various colors of ink (black, brown, green, blue). In double-rolled collotype, the plate was first inked with stiff black ink and then re-inked with a softer colored ink; only one impression was taken. This process was most common in fancy postcards. Collotype has a finely
reticulated Reticulation is a net-like pattern, arrangement, or structure. Reticulation or Reticulated may refer to: * Reticulation (single-access key), a structure of an identification tree, where there are several possible routes to a correct identificatio ...
pattern that captures the tonal shifts of photography with a much more subtle effect that other photographic printing processes of the late 19th century, such as halftone engraving. Under
magnification Magnification is the process of enlarging the apparent size, not physical size, of something. This enlargement is quantified by a calculated number also called "magnification". When this number is less than one, it refers to a reduction in siz ...
, the edges of the print appear as diffuse fine curved lines, unlike the more defined edges of
relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
or intaglio prints. Richard Benson has described the finnicky nature of collotype printing, primarily problems of registration with damp paper and the varied tones from sheet to sheet. As a young printer during the 1960s, Benson recalled how superstitious the collotype printers were because of the delicacy of the process.


Historical use

The collotype printing process did not achieve commercial viability until Joseph Albert invented the first mechanized collotype press in 1868. Short runs can printed on a proofing press, but longer print runs are carried out on a flatbed machine, where the plate is made square, level and fixed on the bed. The plate is then dampened with a slightly
acidic In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...
glycerine Glycerol (), also called glycerine in British English and glycerin in American English, is a simple triol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is sweet-tasting and non-toxic. The glycerol backbone is found in lipids known ...
–water mixture which is selectively absorbed by the different gel hardnesses, blotted before inking with collotype ink using a leather nap or velvet rollers. Best results are achieved with hard finished paper such as Bristol, placed upon the plate and covered with a
tympan Tympan means skin, and is used in a variety of technical meanings. Astrolabes In an astrolabe, a tympan is a metal plate on which the coordinates of the celestial sphere (azimuth and altitude) are engraved in a stereographic projection. A tympan ...
before slight pressure is applied. The collotype process uses much less pressure than other types of printing, such as lithography, letterpress or intaglio. While it is possible to print by hand using a roller or brayer, the best consistency in pressure and even distribution of ink is most effectively achieved on a mechanized press. The collotype printing process was used for volume mechanical printing before the introduction of simpler and cheaper
offset lithography Offset printing is a common printing technique in which the inked image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket and then to the printing surface. When used in combination with the lithographic process, which is based on ...
. It can produce results difficult to distinguish from metal-based photographic prints because of its microscopically fine reticulations which compose the image. Many old postcards are collotypes. Its possibilities for fine art photography were first employed in the United States by
Alfred Stieglitz Alfred Stieglitz (January 1, 1864 – July 13, 1946) was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his 50-year career in making photography an accepted art form. In addition to his photography, Stieglitz was kno ...
. Because of its ability to print fine detail, it was also used for business cards and invitations with fine script lettering.


Famous collotype works

Eadward Muybridge's ''Animal Locomotion: an Electro-Photographic Investigation of Connective Phases of Animal Movements'' (1883–86, printed 1887) was printed in collotype from photographs transferred to gelatin. After collotype had fallen out of commercial use, artists began to experiment with collotype. Pablo Picasso’s 1920 artist’s book ''Le Tricorne'' was printed in (black) collotype with applied
pochoir Stencilling produces an image or pattern on a surface, by applying pigment to a surface through an intermediate object, with designed holes in the intermediate object, to create a pattern or image on a surface, by allowing the pigment to reach ...
color.
Surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...
Max Ernst Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealism ...
printed the frottages in the portfolio ''Natural History'' (1926) in collotype. Gerhard Richter's ''Mao'' (1968) is a collotype portrait of
Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...
.


Contemporary Use


Commercial

In 1997, there were no commercial collotype printers in the United States. As of 2015, there were two commercial collotype printers in Kyoto, Japan. In Europe, the firm Fratelli Alinari (
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
) and Lichtdruck-Kunst (
Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
) still produce collotypes, primarily as high-quality art reproductions for museums.


Non-Commercial or Artistic

In 2010, only a small number of facilities in the United States, primarily art studios or organizations, still have the ability to create collotypes.


Gallery


Monochrome collotypes

File:Arapaho woman Pretty Nose, 1879, restored.jpg,
Pretty Nose Pretty Nose (b. 1851) was an Arapaho woman who participated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. She lived to be at least 101 years old and reportedly became a war chief. Biography Pretty Nose was Arapaho, though in some sources she is referr ...
, collotype with black ink, 1879. File:Photo-engraving and photo-lithography in line and in half-tone, also collotype and heliotype (titel op object), RP-F-2001-7-451.jpg, alt=A book opening showing on the left a collotype of a woman seated in a studio, while the right is the title page reading "Photo-Engraving", Collotype (on left page), 1887. File:Baltimore Orioles and New York Giants, Temple Cup Series.jpg, Collotype reproduction of original painting by
Henry Sandham Henry "Hy" Sandham (24 May 1842 – 21 June 1910) was a Canadian painter and illustrator. He was the brother of author and numismatist Alfred Sandham. Biography Born in Montreal, Sandham decided at an early age to pursue an artistic career, ...
, 1896. File:Bernard, Claude (1813-1878) CIPA0598.jpg, Collotype in black ink of a painting, 19th century. File:Guilherme Gaensly - Avenida Paulista II, Acervo do Museu Paulista da USP (cropped).jpg, Collotype with green ink, 1908. File:Horgan's half-tone and photomechanical processes (1913) (14778035584).jpg, Collotype in
sepia Sepia may refer to: Biology * ''Sepia'' (genus), a genus of cuttlefish Color * Sepia (color), a reddish-brown color * Sepia tone, a photography technique Music * ''Sepia'', a 2001 album by Coco Mbassi * ''Sepia'' (album) by Yu Takahashi * " ...
ink, 1913. File:Koeln in Bildern, Tafel 54. Das Moltke-Denkmal.jpg, Collotype in blue-grey ink.


Monochrome collotypes with applied color

File:Kazumasa Ogawa (Japanese - Tree Pæony - Google Art Project.jpg, Hand-colored collotype, 1896. File:Guilherme Gaensly - São Paulo - Jardim da Luz III, Acervo do Museu Paulista da USP 2 (cropped).jpg, Collotype with handprinted color, 1900. File:Edward Burne-Jones Witches Tree (Flower Book).png, alt=A woman in a brown cloak stares at a figure in a black cloak among greenery and flowers., Edward Burne-Jones' ''The Flower Book'' (1905)'','' collotype with applied
pochoir Stencilling produces an image or pattern on a surface, by applying pigment to a surface through an intermediate object, with designed holes in the intermediate object, to create a pattern or image on a surface, by allowing the pigment to reach ...
. File:Frankfurt Am Main-Morgenstern-KAVFFM-010-Mainbruecke und Sachsenhausen in Frankfurt a M.jpg, Collotype (of an
engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ...
) with applied
watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
, 1913. File:272 BIARRITZ. - Vue générale et les Pyrénées. - LL. (3021802285).jpg, alt=Postcard of a coastal scene with the ocean on the right and a city on the left, Postcard of Biarritz, collotype print with applied color, ca. 1916. File:Washington D.C. - White House - 1877 LCCN2017648282.jpg, Hand-colored collotype, ca. 1877-1920.


Multicolored collotypes

File:Carte postale ancienne de Chéméré 20.jpg, Collotype with brown and blue ink. File:MaryPickford4.jpg, Lobby card of Mary Pickford, 1921. File:Marc Gazelle-lichtdruck.jpg, alt=Gazelle by Franz Marc, ''Gazelle'' by
Franz Marc Franz Moritz Wilhelm Marc (8 February 1880 – 4 March 1916) was a German painter and printmaker, one of the key figures of German Expressionism. He was a founding member of ''Der Blaue Reiter'' (The Blue Rider), a journal whose name later b ...
, 1923: a collotype reproduction of a painting.


References


External sources

* Defibaugh, Denis (1997).
The_Collotype:_&_History,_Process,_Photographic_Documentation_[MA_Thesis
/nowiki>.html" ;"title="A Thesis">The Collotype: & History, Process, Photographic Documentation [MA Thesis
/nowiki>">A Thesis">The Collotype: & History, Process, Photographic Documentation [MA Thesis
/nowiki>'. Rochester, NY: Rochester Institute of Technology. *Dusan C. Stulik, Art Kaplan,
Collotype
'. Getty Conservation Institute, 2013 (''Atlas of Analytical Signatures of Photographic Processes'')
Video of collotype printing at Benrido Press
Kyoto, Japan (2009). {{Authority control Photographic processes dating from the 19th century Printing processes