Van Dyke Brown Print
The Van Dyke-Brown process is a historic photographic printing technique, named after the 17th-century Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck, whose work was often rich in warm, earthy browns. Developed in the late 19th century, the process produces prints with a deep brown tone reminiscent of old master paintings.
It is a contact printing process, meaning the final print must be the same size as the negative placed directly on the sensitized paper. The paper is hand-coated with a light-sensitive solution made of ferric ammonium citrate, tartaric acid, and silver nitrate. Once dry, the coated paper is exposed to ultraviolet light.
During exposure, the iron salts reduce the silver salts to metallic silver, forming the image. Afterward, the print is washed and fixed to remove any unexposed chemicals, leaving behind a stable brown image. The tone can vary from soft sepia to rich, chocolate brown depending on the paper, chemistry, and processing choices.
The Van Dyke-Brown process is valued for its painterly warmth, archival stability, and tactile, handmade quality.
The Van Dyke-Brown process is a historic photographic printing technique, named after the 17th-century Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck, whose work was often rich in warm, earthy browns. Developed in the late 19th century, the process produces prints with a deep brown tone reminiscent of old master paintings.
It is a contact printing process, meaning the final print must be the same size as the negative placed directly on the sensitized paper. The paper is hand-coated with a light-sensitive solution made of ferric ammonium citrate, tartaric acid, and silver nitrate. Once dry, the coated paper is exposed to ultraviolet light.
During exposure, the iron salts reduce the silver salts to metallic silver, forming the image. Afterward, the print is washed and fixed to remove any unexposed chemicals, leaving behind a stable brown image. The tone can vary from soft sepia to rich, chocolate brown depending on the paper, chemistry, and processing choices.
The Van Dyke-Brown process is valued for its painterly warmth, archival stability, and tactile, handmade quality.
