Madeleine Morris

My Kits house has no room for framed pictures on the Wall. Most of them are family portraits. Because as a portrait photographer I always wanted unsmiling eye contact, I am constantly haunted by their stares starting in my bedroom, the hallways, the kitchen, the living room, the dining room and the guest room.

Every time I look at one of them I am like Marcel  Proust dipping a madeleine into tea. I am overwhelmed by how it was I took the portrait and what I indicated to my subjects what they should do.

These days, with my newish 28 inch Acer monitor, I am browsing through my extensive files both in my computer and in my metal negative and slide files inside my 7 metal cabinets with four drawers each.

Today I explored that of Morris, Madeleine whom I photographed for many years. In the file I found this little deteriorated  3x5 inch print. I do not remember why I printed it. I found the yellowing beautiful. The yellowing happened because the glossy, plastic coated Ilford paper was not archival. The paper was manufactured to satisfy the pre-scanner ability of the paper to dry glossy without having to use those complicated glossy making dryers (I had one!). Glossy 8x10s were the only way blacks were reproduced as blacks in magazines and newspapers. The scanner made the paper irrelevant.

I call the yellowing Ilford Degeneration.

This print is lovely. You might note that Morris posed with her pet mouse.

I sometimes despair that I am unable to convince my peers of the value of my Epson V700 scanner.