"Alien War Helmet" - Cyanotype
"Alien War Helmet" - Cyanotype
Alien War Helmet - Cyanotype
This image was made with a Polaroid Type 55 negative. It was the view of the building behind my studio in Boston’s Fort Point Channel. It was made on a foggy day and the light just wrapped around everything.
Cyanotypes are made by contact printing a negative to the sensitized paper and exposing it to ultraviolet light (sunlight). Prints are “developed” in a slightly acidic water bath and finished in a solution of hydrogen peroxide, which accelerates the oxidation process and creates intense blues.
Cyanotypes are one of the most stable printing processes. Cyanotypes made over 150 years ago have retained their original contrast and colors. That’s neat.
The Cyanotype process was discovered by Sir John Hershel in 1842 and used to duplicate drawings and notes as “blueprints”. This was used well into the 20th century for the same purpose. A cyanotype’s primary characteristic is its deep blue color.
A cyanotype is very archival. Images produced in the mid 1800’s have retained their original tones and densities. For such a humble process, cyanotypes really are “true blue”.
