Orotone

An orotone - literally a gold-tone print - is a photographic image made by printing a positive on a glass plate coated with silver gelatin emulsion, then backing the developed plate with banana oil impregnated with gold-colored pigment, or with hand-applied 23-karat gold leaf. The result is a warm, luminous image that Curtis compared to iridescent pebbles in a forest brook; printed on glass, orotones are also extremely fragile and need specialized frames. The technique flourished in the early twentieth century and turns up in Arts and Crafts interiors, above all in the work of Seattle photographer Edward S. Curtis, who produced hundreds of gold-tone images of Native Americans and marketed his own version as the 'Curt-Tone'. The process never died: practitioners such as Sally Larsen, who gold-leafs each developed plate by hand, and Ryan Zoghlin still make orotones.

Defining characteristics

• The photographic image printed on a glass plate rather than paper
• Gold backing - pigment in banana oil or 23-karat gold leaf - behind the emulsion
• Warm, glowing golden tonality with unusual depth and translucency
• Fragile glass support requiring specialized framing
• Luminous, painterly quality distinct from ordinary silver gelatin prints

Key figures

• Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) — Seattle photographer who made hundreds of orotones and developed his own variant, the Curt-Tone
• Sally Larsen (fl. late 20th century) — Contemporary photographer who gold-leafs each developed plate by hand

Sources

• Orotone - Wikipedia encyclopedia

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