Van Dyke Brown Print
An iron-silver contact printing process producing rich brown tones, named after the painter Anthony van Dyck's dark pigments. Photographers used it in the late 19th century and artists still use it for hand-coated prints.
Spot it
- 01Deep chocolate-brown shadows
- 02Creamy warm highlights
- 03Hand-brushed coating edges
Why it happens
Iron salts and silver nitrate on paper form a silver image under ultraviolet light; fixing removes the unused chemistry, leaving a warm brown tone.
Recreate it in Pixio
Image edit prompt“Print this image as a Van Dyke brown contact print on soft cotton paper: deep chocolate-brown shadows, warm cream highlights, creamy midtones, fine paper fiber, hand-brushed uneven coating edges, slight sun-exposure streaks and subtle water spots. Use only brown tones. Keep the original subject and composition.”
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