[Leica] silver prints

[timatherton at theedge.ca (Tim Atherton)]

> I was up at the Getty Museum this weekend visiting one of their photo
> exhibits. One thing that always strikes me is the quality of the
> vintage b/w silver prints. They are incredible lush and rich. Their
> tonal scale is to die for with a creamy smooth tonal scale all the
> way from the shadows to the highlights. I've never seen a modern
> print that looks remotely as good. So, what is it? Certainly the
> uncoated lenses (taking and enlarging) may have something to do
> with "the glow", but my guess is it's the paper. True? False? Maybe?
> Does anyone still make anything even remotely like that today?
>

They may also have been printed on one of many silver chloride contact
papers, the only one of which that is still around being Kodak Azo (which I
am just beginning to experiment with) - Azo in Amidol will give that long
tonal scale and sense of depth, with black blacks and detailed highlights.

tim