Physical Description:
511 negatives
black and white
8 x 10 inches
Physical Description:
12 photographic prints
Scope and Contents
Five hundred eleven (511) 8x10 silver-gelatin negatives are presented in Part IV of the "Norman E. Riley Photography
Collection." The negatives are individually stored in white, thumb-cut, unbuffered, acid-free and lignin-free, 7 pt.
cardstock envelopes obtained from Print File Archival Storage (Print File) in Apopka, Florida. The envelopes are
sequentially hand-numbered "NR810-0001" to "NR810-0511" using Sakura archival inks, and are stored in two (2) 10¼ x10⅝
x 8⅝-inch, 40 pt., archival-quality, tan-colored, fliptop boxes supplied by Hollinger Metal Edge in Fredericksburg,
Virginia. The negatives are arranged in alphabetical order by region and specific location according to their proper
names or, in cases where the actual name was unknown, descriptive titles assigned by the photographer. Interspersed among
the California negatives are a small number of portrait and still life images made by Riley during the time he lived in
Davis, California. Portraits are identified by the name(s) of the individual(s) or group portrayed, and still life
negatives are placed according to the common or colloquial name of an element included in the photograph. Riley's notes
and diaries regarding his photographic work are the source of most of the information included in Table IV below. Dates
assigned to negatives are exposure dates, not development dates. The twelve (12) silver-gelatin photographs contained in
Part IV of the "Norman E. Riley Photography Collection" are from negatives in Part IV of the collection.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
The photographs contained in Part IV are from negatives in Part IV of the collection. The photographs were made by
projection printing through a Super Chromega F enlarger and 300-mm Rodenstock Rodagon lens onto Ilford MGIV or Ilford
MGFB Classic paper developed face-down in Ansco 103 with constant agitation for two to three minutes according to the
needs of the print. All of the prints were fixed twice: first in a sodium thiosulfate bath acidified with sodium
metabisulfite; and then in a plain sodium thiosulfate bath before washing, toning in a slightly alkaline selenium bath
using Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner, secondary washing, and air drying on fiberglass screens. In cases where spotting was
performed, "Spotone" fluid manufactured by Retouch Methods Co., Inc. in Chatham, New Jersey and "Higgins Super White
Drawing Ink (No. 4015)" manufactured by Faber Castell Corporation in Newark, New Jersey were used. The prints are
dry-mounted on 60 pt., 20x24-inch, 100% acid and lignin-free, calcium carbonate-buffered, white cotton rag boards
obtained from Archival Methods in Henrietta, New York. The dry mount tissue used in every case is Bienfang MT-5 tissue.
Each mount is stamped on the back with black Sanford ink. The title of the image, the print identification number
corresponding to the negative from which the print was made, and the dates of the negative and print are written in
pencil inside the stamped area. The finished photographs are signed, individually stored in 2-mil polyethylene sleeves
from Archival Methods, and contained together in a single gray, 20½x24½x3-inch, 56 pt., archival, drop-front metal edge
storage box from Print File.
Key to Abbreviations
"Ansco 103" is a MQ paper developer originally designed to give blue-black tones on contact papers. For general
information about Ansco as a business concern, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansco. For information regarding the
composition of Ansco 103, see "Photographic Lab Handbook, 5th Edition" John S. Carroll, American Photographic Book
Publishing Co., Inc. (AMPHOTO), Garden City, New York, 1979, or an equivalent authoritative reference.
"AgfaPan 100" was an ASA 100 panchromatic film manufactured by the Agfa-Gevaert company
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AgfaGevaert).
"ASA" stands for "American Standards Association." The ASA system was one of several developed for rating the speeds
of different photographic films. For more information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_speed or other authoritative
references.
"Beinfang MT-5 tissue" is a thermoplastic dry-mounting adhesive coated on thin glassine tissue bonding at temperatures
between 175 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
"BPF 200" (Bergger Panchromatic Film) was an ASA 200 panchromatic film produced by the French company "Bergger" which
was founded in 1995 as a successor to the older Guilleminot company.
"Filmbase-plus-fog negative" refers to a negative developed without exposure to determine the density attributable to
a film's base, and the unavoidable fog caused by development to parts of the film that receive no exposure. These
negatives have application in sensitometry.
"FP4 Plus" [originally an abbreviation for "Fine (grain) Panchromatic (film)"] is an ASA 125 panchromatic film
manufactured by Ilford Harman. FP4 was introduced in 1955 as an ASA 80 successor to the slower FP1, FP2, and FP3
emulsions. Modern "FP4 Plus" sheet film, introduced in 1990 (in lieu of "FP5"), is coated on a 0.180mm (7-mil) polyester
base with an anti-halation backing that clears during development. After trials with both BPF 200 and FP4 Plus, Riley
chose FP4 Plus as his primary film to replace discontinued AgfaPan 100. For additional technical information see
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/2010712125850702.pdf
"HP5 Plus" [originally an abbreviation for "Hypersensitive Panchromatic (film)"] is an ASA 400 panchromatic film
manufactured by Ilford Harman. Originally introduced in 1935, HP film was followed by HP2 (1937), HP3 (1941), HP4 (1965),
and HP5 (1976). "HP5 Plus" (in lieu of "HP6") was introduced in 1989.
"IR820C" was an infrared film supplied by the German company Hans O. Mahn GmbH & Co. KG (a.k.a. "Maco Photo
Products). Riley used only a few sheets of this infrared film due to significant emulsion coating problems, high cost,
and unreliable supply. Maco IR820C was discontinued by its maker, rebranded as "Efke IR820" for a short time, and
discontinued again.
"Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner" is a proprietary chemical solution that extends the life of the black and white print,
increases contrast slightly, and in some papers produces a color shift. It can also be used to treat negatives. For more
information see http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/g23/g23.pdf and
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/pdf/msds/kodak/Rapid_Selenium_Toner.pdf.
"MGFB Classic" is a glossy, double-weight, 255g/m² fiber-based, variable contrast enlarging paper produced by
Ilford/Harman. This paper replaces Ilford MGIV which was discontinued at the end of 2013. The primary difference between
MGFB Classic and MGIV is that MGFB Classic produces a greater color shift with Se toning.
"MGIV" stands for "Multigrade IV," a glossy, double-weight, 255g/m^2 fiber-based enlarging paper of variable contrast
and neutral tone produced by Ilford/Harman. For specifications see
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/2011427105150454.pdf . Ilford announced that this paper would be discontinued at the
end of 2013 and replaced by "Ilford Multigrade FB Classic." See
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/products/product.asp?n=76&t=photographic+papers
"MQ" stands for "metol-hydroquinone." "Metol" and "hydroquinone" are common names for distinct developing agents used
in combination with other substances to produce a wide variety of black and white developers for both films and
papers.
"NR" stands for "Norman Riley."
"NR810" denotes an 8x10 negative by Norman Riley. "NR810-0237," as an example, denotes negative number 237 within the
series 8x10 negatives by Norman Riley. In Part IV of the collection, 8x10 negatives are numbered sequentially beginning
with NR810-0001 and ending with NR810-0511.
"P" in Table IV denotes a "print." The print identified as "NR810-0343-P," for example, is a print from negative
number NR810-0343 in the series of 8x10 negatives. A stamp on the back of each mount bears the title of the image, the
dates the negative and mounted print were made, and the corresponding negative number.
"PMK" stands for "pyrogallol-metol-Kodalk," a black and white film developer. "Pyrogallol" and "metol" are common
chemical names for different developing agents. "Kodalk" was Kodak's trademark name for sodium metaborate which functions
as an accelerator in the PMK formula. PMK is virtually the only film developer Riley used for black and white work after
late 1984.
"pt." stands for "point." In this system of measurement, one point is equal to one one-thousandth (0.001) of an inch.
Thus, a 40 pt. card is 0.040 inches (or ~1.0mm) thick, and a 60 pt. board is 0.060 inches (or ~ 1.5mm) thick.
"Rodenstock Rodagon" refers to a type of enlarging lens. For technical specifications see
http://www.prograf.ru/rodenstock/enlarging_en.html#Rodagon
"Se" refers to "selenium." The Se toner used by Riley to finish the black and white prints in this collection was a
proprietary formula manufactured by Kodak and sold under the trademark name "Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner" discussed
above.
"Spotone" was the name given to water-soluble spotting fluids manufactured by Retouch Methods Co., Inc. in Chatham,
New Jersey. Spotone was used to correct small local density defects caused by dust or other materials on sensitized
surfaces at the time of exposure, or physical damage (e.g., scratching of the soft negative emulsion) during
processing.
"Super Chromega F" is a type of 8x10 enlarger produced by Simmon Brothers, a maker of various photographic products,
formerly based in Woodside, New York.
