Celebration of Innovation: A History of Autotype 1868-2005 [Hardcover]

The definition of the autotype process according to the Oxford English Dictionary is "a true impression of the original". The process was developed in 1868 by the famous inventor Joseph Swan and the book details the history of this photographic process and how specialist imaging progressed from the XIX century to its present format, following it through the development of the Autotype Company(now MacDermid Autotype Ltd).

Rare illustrations from the Autotype archives enhance this publication and the book is not only of interest to photographic historians, but also to those readers wishing to follow the progress of a unique British manufacturing company from the late XIX century to present days.

The sunrise of Autotype began in 1868 when Joseph Swan (later to become Sir Joseph Swan, the famous inventor of the incandescent electric light bulb) set up the company to commercialise his patented process for producing permanent photographic images. Photography was in its infancy and early photographic prints suffered from fading. Swan's 'Carbon process' as it was called (because it used carbon powder in a thin film of gelatine sensitised by Potassium Chromate), solved the problem. When paper coated with Swan's unique formulation was placed under a negative and exposed to light, a permanent photographic image was produced; one that did not deteriorate with time.

A detailed description of the process, innovation and improvements follows, continuing with the development of the Autotype company within the photographic scene in the late XIX century.