Although we have not yet catalogued the VMacA Archive we have already noted that he used a number of colour development processes (CDPs) over the 30 or so years covered by the Archive. It is important to know what he used when and for what type of photography, so that we can understand the evolution of his practice and craft. It is also unusual for a photographic archive to cover so many processes, and in itself, this is interesting and potentially useful for photographic researchers.
We are currently aware of 5 CDPs in the Archive: Autochrome, Agfa, Finlay (glass and cut film), Dufay and Paget. These are all additive processes that were eventually overtaken by the subtractive process used by Agfa and most successfully by Kodak after the end of the war.
The earliest commercially available CDP was Autochrome produced in France by the Lumiere Company and made available to the British public in Autumn 1907. This CDP produces a distinctive, luminous colour palette that is much sought after by collectors. The VMAcA Archive has a large set of around 100 Autochromes taken by MacAndrew in Southern Spain before 1913 and a further 150-200 slides across different timescales and subjects. The total of 250-300 is a significant collection of Autochromes, probably the 2 or 3rd largest in the UK by a single photographer.
MacAndrew moved on to Finlay glass plates after the first World War, and in 1933 moved on to the cut film version. Finlay slides are the majority of the colour slides in the Archive.
The next most important CDP is Agfa, of which there are an estimated 500 slides.
We have only seen 4 Dufay likely slides and a box of Paget slides, so we do not know if these are a sample of larger bodies of work or perhaps were only an experiment.
In total the VMacA contains an estimated 1,750-2,000 colour slides, all using the subtractive processes. If this total is confirmed by more detailed cataloguing, then it represents one of the largest collections of pre WW2 colour images by a single photographer in the UK.
The different CDPs have different profiles under magnification and their distinctive patterns can be easily learned by an Archivist. Dartmouth Museum needs help in reviewing and cataloging the 5,000 slides, so if you are interested, please use the contact form here to get in touch. Contact us