Public Garden Ball Field, Boston
Public Garden Ball Field, Boston
Boston’s historic Public Garden in the summer was always active. I was experimenting with contrast and night photography. I think it worked. This was made with an 8x10 negative and contact printed on acid free vellum paper.
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”.