Heritage science aspects of early Austrian electrotype artefacts

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1 Heritage science aspects of early Austrian electrotype artefacts Valentina Ljubić Tobisch Wolfgang Kautek University of Vienna, Department of Physical Chemistry Heritage Science Days Vienna, November 2017

2 Gravure Printing Gravure or intaglio - family of high quality printmaking techniques; the image is incised into a surface by a various number of engraving or etching methods: Etching Engraving Drypoint Mezzotint Aquatint High cost the engraving plate is expensive to make Not durable only a limited number of prints from the original plate is possible

3 Electrotyping or galvanoplastic 1838, St. Petersburg: Moritz Hermann von Jacobi discovered galvanoplastics, or electrotyping, a method of making printing plates by electroplating exact facsimile of any object having an irregular surface (engraved steel- or copper-plates, wood-cuts, medallion, statues, busts, or even natural objects) ability of making as many copies as required Herbert Heinrich, J. Chem. Educ., 1938, 15 (12), p Walter George McMillan, 1890, A Treatise on Electro-metallurgy: Embracing the Application of Electrolysis, London

4 Galvanographie 1840, Munich: Franz von Kobell invented galvanographie, where he used electrotyping to copy ink, oil and wax drawings on silver-plated copper plates and in so doing produced printing plates.

5 Daguerreotype 1839, Paris: Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre introduced the first publicly available photographic process image on a polished sheet of silver-plated copper with a mirror finish, polished silver plates sensitized with fumes from iodine crystals, exposed in the camera, developed over heated mercury and fixed in a hot sodium chloride solution. Hippolyte Fizeau, increased contrast and brilliance of the image by treating it with a solution of gold chloride and sodium thiosulfate forming gold nanoparticles on the surface daguerreotype had no negative Research on the gilding of Daguerreotypes, Dr. Nicholas Bigelow, The University of Rochester Literary Gazette and Journals of the Belles Letter, Arts, Science, & c. London, No August 1840

6 Historical Objects from the Franz Theyer s galvanoplasticartististic Laboratory in Vienna Galvanoplastic and its application Franz Theyer Vienna, metal artifacts printing plates and reliefs 216 graphic prints Multiplicity of newspaper articles, various documents about electrotyping and electroplating technique from the 19 th Century + 3 copper plates from the museum archive.

7 Items made of copper

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9 Items with a gilded surface

10 Silver-plated items

11 Items made of copper, presence of silver on the surface

12 A B C Electrotype copper plates St. Joseph, 1844, Vienna

13 1841: Franz Theyer and Erwin Waidele produced first electrotypes for printing purposes in Vienna 1842: Theyer established the first Laboratory for electrotyping in Austria producing high quality plates and exporting to many european countries; no comparable quality Europe-wide three years of national subsidy of 1000 Gulden; planned to nationalized the laboratory afterwords Alois Auer von Welsbach, director of the national printing office establishes the department for electrotyping Thayer and Waidele stopped all their activities in the field of electrotyping

14 Galvanography Electrotint painting media contained mixtures of ferric oxide, ochre, graphite, vine black with wax, which were dissolved in terpentine oil or dammar varnish (1844) painting media were applied onto the silver-coated copper plates the thick pasty layers of paint had to be made conductive by adding graphite or silver powder once the galvanic copper layer had attained a sufficient thickness, the electrochemical process was stopped the deposited negative mould could be delaminated mechanically from the positive substrate

15 Diagnostic research Method Morphologie Chemistry Z Scanning (Microskopie) Scanning electron microscope (SEM) Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) Metallography Scanning Force Microscopy (SFM) X-ray diffraction (XRD) Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (XRF) Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) Voltammetry of Microparticles (VMP) Chemical pencil X X X X X (2D) X X X X (3D) X X

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21 Chance to find out more about the production technology: Heritage science this objects were probably never cleaned or treated differently original electrotype surface from the time of their production traces of diverse elements used in the production process CHALLENGES poor knowledge about the production techniques

22 Based on the presence or absence of certain signature elements or signature element combinations: Heritage science analysis of the material composition determination not only of major photographic and electroforming processes but also of important process variants determination of the relationship between particular photographic processes and electroforming CHALLENGES lack of available samples for destructive analysis extremely thin surface layers

23 Conservation approach: Heritage science diverse surface alteration artifacts consist of a base material covered with one or more layers is there synergistic action of the electrotyped process and the condition? CHALLENGES finding the ideal cleaning method preserving all relevant layers without damaging the delicate surface

24 Franz Theyer s Laboratory CONCLUSION The discovery of the collection produced in Franz Theyer s laboratory is of great significance and demonstrates the progress Theyer and his partner Waidele made in the introduction and implementation of a new technical branch of the industry in Austria, Most of preserved metal works made intheyer s laboratory were made as part of experiments, Not easy to distinguish which printing plates were really used for artistic purposes, Galvanographie showed as very valuable because it enabeld the production of cheap graphic prints, The findings give a compressed yet well documented history of the first laboratory for electrotyping operating in Austria.