True Sepia Tone

[Paul Roark]

The book I referred to that I believed to have high quality reproductions in it is called, "A New History of Photography."  It is edited by Michel Frizot.  At least the 1998 English language version appears to have been published by Könemann Befestigungstechnik gmbh, Bonner Str. 126, D-50968, Koln.  It was printed by Amilcare Pizzi, Milan.  It's a huge, 775 page tome.  The editor, Michel Frizot, is or was a state researcher at the CNRS in Paris and also a professor of photographic history at Ecole du Louvre, Paris. 

It seemed to me, given the "no expense spared" appearance of the book, the backgrounds of the people in the project, and the apparent state support, that the reproductions would be made as faithfully as possible. But, of course, in the end it's subjective, and if there is a relatively modern specific medium one is targeting, getting samples of that medium would be the best way to go.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

[Mark D Segal]

Ah yes - thanks for that; I recall now - it was a major publishing event back then. I see there is also a newer 2001 edition in French.

[Ernst Dinkla]

http://www.amazon.de/New-History-Photography-Michel-Frizot/dp/3829013280

I guess it is this book. Könemann Verlag is more likely the publisher.
Befestigungstechnik gives me the impression of iron or copper cladding on old bibles.

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
December 2014 update, 700+ inkjet media white spectral plots

[Paul Roark]

"Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH" is it.  (Frankly it's all "Greek" to me.  I just grabbed the wrong one off Google.)

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

[Mark D Segal]

Verlag = publisher

GmBH = company with limited liability.

So in shaken-down English: Konemann Publisher Ltd. :-)

[SeanPerry]

hi Garnick.

As you know, toning with Sepia or Thiourea is a very expressive process, so many subtleties can be coaxed by dilutions of chemistry, temperature, time etc…. What type of silver paper you were starting with a huge factor, bromide or chlorobromide. Also as Mr. TylerB points out, how you initially developed it. So many possibilities.

I hope helpful, resources I would recommend would be – visually Michael Kenna and his excellent split-toning (all sepia I believe) as well as Tom Baril, especially his seascapes for what you were asking about color. The baddest of the bad(!) on all of this is Mr. Tim Rudman. His book The Photographer's Toning Book: The Definitive Guide http://www.amazon.com/The-Photographers-Toning-Book-Definitive/dp/0817454659 is such a rich resource, and includes step wedges of all his techniques illustrating the splits and tone changes. I actually use it when I teach Photoshop alongside showing silver prints to give context to what toning is all about. You will have to pay up and find it used, but it’s lovely and he is simply boss. http://www.timrudman.com

[nemophoto]

As an old darkroom printer, from my experience, there were almost as many ways to achieve sepia as in the digital world. And a lot more time consuming. There were of course the Agfa papers that were very warm (sepia by another name), but most of the time it required another bath to tone the print. So you had the chemical variable (the manufacturer) and then you had the time you soaked the print in the bath.

In the end, I don't think it truly matters how you define "sepia". Rather it's your personal taste. From my perspective, I like the toning I get from Silver Efex, but tend to lean toward the "coffee" tone, rather than it's version of sepia.

Nemo