Early Work In Photography
A Text-book For Beginners

First Lessons in Toning. 15 gold, if collected as a precipitate, would be found to exist as a beautiful purple powder—resembling that known to painters as “purple of cassius.” The longer a print is immersed in such a toning bath, the deposition of gold of course becomes heavier, and causes a deepening of the tone until the print changes from red, or reddish brown, to a purple brown, then to purple, and finally to a blue black. The color of the resultant photogram there- fore depends, to a great extent, upon the length of immersion in the gold toning bath, and it will be readily inferred that the permanence of the print will be much improved by receiving a deposit of gold—which is so little affected by atmospheric influences as compared with silver. Toning, therefore, answers a two-fold purpose: it im- proves the color of the silver print and increases its permanence. The action of the gold bath also exerts a pleasing influence upon the white parts of the print, changing the slight yellowish deposit of silver into almost invisible pale violet or purple, thus enhancing the brilliance of the high lights; this will be very noticeable as we proceed with the toning. In order to avoid waste in preparing a toning bath (as well as on account of general neatness), it is desirable to make up the following stock solutions:— Gold Stock Solution. Gold chloride ... ... 15 grains Distilled Water ... • • • 15 ounces, The gold chloride is sold in hermetically sealed tubes con- taining 15 grains each. The water must be measured in a graduate divided into fluid drams and ounces. Care if necessary in breaking the tube of gold so as to prevent waste. The best plan is to put the tube of gold into the graduate and press it, or tap it smartly, with a thick glass rod or piece of clean smooth hard wood. Ib floz 2E3 =6 = 3 , \ —2 1 When the tube is broken, add a few ounces of water and stir it up with a glass rod and then pour the solution Graduales. into a stoppered bottle; add more water and pour it off as before, and so on until fifteen ounces have been measured. The fragments of glass will remain in the graduate and may be thrown away. It is advisable to keep this solution in a cupboard away from strong daylight, or else cover the bottle with a sheet of brown paper.