Victorian Crystoleum Picture Of Girl In Forest C1880

Victorian Crystoleum
Of A Young Girl In A Forest Like Setting
With An Owl In Flight
Measuring 19cm by 26cm inside frame 27cm by 34cm in frame
Condition is excellent

Crystoleum, from “crystal” + “oleum” (oil), was a photographic format which appeared in the 1880s and 1890s and enjoyed a period of popularity which lasted until the Great War.

The process of crystoleum was a method of applying colour to an albumen print which was then pasted face down to the inside of a concave piece of glass. Once the adhesive (usually starch paste or gelatine) was dry, the paper backing of the print was rubbed away, leaving only the transparent emulsion on the glass. The image was then coloured by hand, using oil paints. Another piece of glass was added to the back and this could also be coloured by hand. Both pieces of glass were bound together creating a detailed, albeit fragile, image. The process was derived from the 18th century mezzotint process.