American Photography, January 1914. Gum printing, Robert Demachy, etc.

Features article on Robert Demachy exhibition at A.P. Little Gallery, several pages of which have been replaced with photocopies. Other articles include Paul L. Anderson on the Gum Pigment Process - chapter IX; home portraiture; flash photography device; snow scenes, et al. Photographs by Robert Demachy, J.H. Travis, William C. Stratman, Oscar Badgley, John E. Prior, A.C. Wilmerding, B. Springsted, A.W. Ollar, J.K. Hodges, et al. As is, with replaced pages, otherwise very good. Summary:

The January 1914 issue of American Photography (Vol. 8, No. 1) centers heavily on non-silver alternative processes, with a major spotlight on the gum-bichromate printing process and the master pictorialist techniques of French photographer Robert Demachy. 

Published during the height of the Pictorialist movement, this issue addresses the artistic debate surrounding photo-manipulation, positioning gum printing as a medium that allows photographers to elevate camera work to fine art by exercising manual control akin to painting or drawing.

Key Highlights & Contents:

• Robert Demachy & Gum-Bichromate Printing: Features analysis and instruction regarding Demachy's influential methods, detailing how brushing and local manipulation of light-sensitive gum arabic, dichromate, and pigment produce painterly textures and expressive tonal controls.

• Pictorial Aesthetics vs. Pure Photography: Explores the philosophy behind modified prints, offering arguments for why hand-manipulated techniques like gum and oil-pigment printing allow artists to express personal interpretation rather than literal mechanical representation.

• Technical & Darkroom Guidance: Includes practical formulas for paper coating, exposure times, brush techniques for development, and pigment selection for workers attempting multi-coat gum prints.

• Regular Departments: Features monthly reader print competitions, equipment and chemical updates, darkroom troubleshooting, and critical critiques of contemporary amateur and professional submissions.