After a brief revival in the early 1900's, a modification of the oil process was proposed wherein a "modern" bromide (normal photographic print) could be chemically converted to an oil matrix. This proposition actually lay dormant for several years, until about 1911, when F. G. Mortimer made some refinements to the proposed process and essentially put bromoil (he coined the term) on the map. Mortimer continued to use the process through the 1920's and is generally considered one of the foremost American Bromoilists. Thanks to Mortimer's refinements, the bromoil process, with its more painterly qualities, became a favorite medium of the secessionists and pictorialists of the early part of the century.

The process itself is quite simple. First, the artist makes a normal photographic print. Then, through the use of bleaches, the silver image is removed and the gelatin of the emulsion is hardened in proportion to the amount of silver in the original image. This bleached and converted print becomes the "matrix" referred to in the oil process. Now, borrowing from the art of lithography, the matrix is soaked in water and "inked" with an oil based pigment. Since the gelatin absorbs more water in the areas of least silver, the pigment is more or less refused by the surface and a representation of the original photograph is achieved.

In actual practice, the process is subject to many variables, some of which are under the control of the artist, and others, well.... that's what makes it an art. In any event, the resulting image is oil pigment on paper (with gelatin sizing) and is as permanent as any oil painting. A further refinement, borrowed from the original oil printing process, involves the transfer of the pigmented image from the photographic paper to a more permenant final support. The result, called a Bromoil Transfer Print, is considered the ultimate form of the process. The transfer involves the use of a rolling press of some sort, and usually requires several inkings and transfers, in exact register, in order to achieve an acceptable print. Most importantly, the transfer process allows the production of full color images.

Bromoil, although not as popular as other "control" processes, is enjoying a revival among photographic artists, collectors, and galleries. The Getty collection in Los Angeles contains a large number of fine bromoil images and The Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego recently had an exhibit of Pierre Dubreuil's work. Dubreul, working almost exclusively in the oil process around the turn of the century, is now considered one of the earliest modernists in photography.

My own interest in bromoil and bromoil transfer was initiated by an article that appeared in a photographic magazine more than 30 years ago. After many years of fumbling failure with control processes, including photo-engraving and gravure, a breakthrough came through contact with Luis Nadeau's monograph on the history and practice of Bromoil. Using his work as a guide, I have developed a number of modifications, including the use of "split-inks" to achieve a two color effect, and the use of "new" brush and brayer strokes to achieve a more painterly image. Some of these modifications have been dictated by desire, and some are the product of necessity. I plan continuing development of the split-inks as well as exploration of single and multi-color transfers.