Platinum Prints are the "Royalty" of all photographic processes. It is the most beautiful and permanent of handmade printing processes, producing a print of extraordinary quality. More precious than gold, the platinum emulsion is hand-coated onto fine art paper before exposure creating a completely one-of-a-kind piece of art, much like a fine drawing or painting. A Rembrandt, in precious metal.

The platinum printing process has been in existence nearly as long as photography itself. Commercially available platinum printing papers came into existence in the early 1880’s and by the turn of the century platinum prints were very popular, valued both for their beauty and their intrinsic permanence. Platinum metals are the most inert metals in existence, which contributes greatly to the extreme archival stability of platinum prints.

There is a reported case where platinum prints aboard a sunken ship were brought to the surface 20 years later and found to be in excellent condition.

With the onset of World War I, platinum family metals were hard to come by and by the early 1940’s commercially produced platinum papers were no longer available. Print makers who desire the unique and beautiful qualities of platinum create their own paper by mixing the light-sensitive chemicals and coating the paper by hand. The platinum particles are embedded within the fibers of the paper, which results in an image that is as permanent as the paper itself. Platinum prints are valued by galleries, museums, and art collectors, both for their archival stability as well as their unmatched beauty. Although difficult and costly to create, platinum prints are the sine qua non of photographic art.

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