FERNS AND LEAVES, PRINTING FROM Ferns and leaves make effective and decora tive photographs which are easily produced without a camera, lens, or negative, the leaves being printed direct upon the sensitive paper. Lace may also be photographed in the same way. Either fresh, preserved, or skeletonised flowers and leaves may be used. A piece of plain glass should be placed in a printing frame of the desired size and the leaf laid flat thereon, the sensitive paper (any kind answers, although P.O.P. is preferable) coming next ; the back of the frame is placed in position, and the whole put out to print in the usual way. When printed sufficiently, tone or develop, as the case may be, and afterwards fix and thoroughly wash. When the leaves are particularly moist it is advisable to place a thin sheet of celluloid—a clean film serves admirably—between the leaf and the paper in order to prevent the paper from becoming contaminated with the natural juices.
Almost equally good results may be obtained from natural or skeletonised leaves, the differ ence being in the duration of printing. Bracken and virginia creeper leaves are particularly suit able, and a brief printing from fresh leaves gives the outline of the leaves only, the image appear ing as white upon black. If, however, a reversal is wanted, the leaf may be placed in contact with a dry plate and a negative made which would produce a print showing black upon white. The longer the exposure the more light travels through the leaf, and the greater the detail obtained. New leaves when suitably printed give beautiful half-tones, because of the different densities of the various parts of the leaves ; whereas skeleton leaves produce only black and white prints. Talbot, in 1836, used a fern leaf when he proeuced the first silver print on paper.