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  • Envelope of Illingworth’s “Satin Art” Slogas gaslight paper, vigorous grade (hard) for soft, weak, or thin negatives. 1910–12. Manufactured by Illingworth and Co., Ltd., in Willesden Junction, London. 17 sheets, 4 1/4 x 3 1/4" (10.8 x 8.3 cm). Collection Alison Rossiter

    England was the first nation in the world to industrialize, and London, its capital, was the nexus of its industrial activity in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Advancements in paper production came with the wave of industrialization, along with a significant growth in paper mills. The bustling city was home to a number of notable photographic companies. In 1879, William Willis, Jr., began marketing Platinotype paper through the Platinotype Company of London and its sister company Willis & Clements, in Philadelphia, and went on to produce the finest Platinum, Palladium, and Silver-Platinum papers in the world. By 1891, Eastman Kodak, based in Rochester, New York, had offices in central London and factories in the northwest borough of Harrow.

    Elsewhere in greater London, Wellington & Ward, located in Elstree, catered to the Pictorialists from 1895 until 1929, when the company was acquired by Ilford. Within two years, the Thomas Illingsworth Company, Imperial Dry Plate, and other photography manufacturers were also acquired by Ilford, which today is among the few remaining companies to produce silver gelatin paper.

    —Lee Ann Daffner, Hanako Murata

Manufacturers

  • 1879–1937
    Platinotype Company
    Willis & Clements of Philadelphia were the sole U.S. representatives.
  • 1879–1976
    Ilford Ltd.
    Known as Britannia Works Company prior to 1901.
  • 1889–present
    Eastman Photographic Materials Company, Ltd. (known today as Kodak, Ltd.)
  • 1894–1930
    Wellington & Ward Ltd.
    Known as Wellington & Ward after 1922. The company was integrated into the Ilford group in 1930.
  • 1900–09
    B. J. Edwards Ltd.
    Manufactured "Wisto" paper. The company was acquired by Leto Photo materials Co. Ltd. in 1909.
  • 1900–30
    T. Illingworth & Co. Ltd
    The company was integrated into the Ilford group around 1930.

Walther Artists Who Used These Products

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