The Platinum (Platinotype) Process

Many regard the platinum print as the most beautiful of all photographic processes. It is certainly one of the most permanent; the relatively inert platinum can be considered as permanent as the paper in which it rests. A platinum print on good archival paper can last from 500-1000 years.

The platinum process, like several other photographic printing processes, has its roots in a discovery by Sir John Herschel that certain ferric substances, such as ferric oxalate, became ferrous when exposed to light and, in a suitable solvent, can reduce metallic salts to a metallic state. Only a clearing bath is necessary to remove the remaining ferric salts. Image coloration depends on the metals used, the developer, the temperature of the developer, and to some extent, the color of the paper. The print process using platinum was invented in 1873 by William Willis.

Platinum images consist of finely-divided metal particles that rest among the paper's fibers rather than on the surface. This intimate relationship of image and paper produces a rich, almost velvety appearance.

Platinum prints are contact prints; the final image is the same size as the negative. The characteristic luminous image of a pure platinum print is made entirely from neutral browns to black, depending on the developer used.

The Russian revolution and World War I caused the cost of platinum to rise so Eastman Kodak halted production of platinum paper in 1916. Platinum printing became popular again in the 1960s and 1970s, as paper manufacturers begin discontinuing or lowering the silver content of some of the better silver papers. Photographers, looking for a paper with a long tonal scale, turned to the platinum print as an alternative to the silver papers.

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