578
different from Le Gray’s. Acknowledging its benefi ts,
Le Gray insisted that it was not a separate procedure but
a simply a modifi cation of his own. Maurice Lespiault
criticized Geoffray’s procedure for not being able to
keep very long, but G. Roman and A. Cuvelier were
pleased with it.
In early 1855, Geoffray published another cerolein
procedure—primarily intended for glass, but also for
paper. This consisted of collodion mixed with cerotic
acid, the latter contributing to a thicker and more resis-
tant coating. Geoffray also mentioned that the formula
made collodion easier to spread on paper.
In his 1855 Traité pratique pour l’emploi des papiers
du commerce en photographie, Geoffray lamented the
contemporary state of paper production and discussed
the steps needed to manufacture paper for photographic
purposes. He also suggested methods for purifying paper
for photographic purposes, alleviating stains caused by
metal particles, and sizing.
In 1856, Geoffray published two more paper pro-
cesses, stating his determination to fi nd a paper process
that would rival collodion on glass.
The fi rst was a dry-paper process adapted from Jean-
Marie Taupenot’s 1855 collodio-albumen process. Here,
a sheet of paper was sensitized twice: the fi rst coating
formed a lower layer of silver chloride in starch sizing;
the second, an upper layer of silver iodide in albumen.
According to Geoffray, after the exposure of the nega-
tive, the lower layer containing silver chloride would be
more printed-out by the actinic action of light than the
silver iodide layer; from this, he surmised that the silver
chloride layer was less infl uenced by the subsequent
process of development, isolating the upper silver iodide
layer and contributing to a reduction in exposure time
and an improvement in defi nition.
The second process required a preliminary step in
which sheets of paper were soaked in a solution of
gutta-percha dissolved in benzene and hung to dry. (The
gutta-percha formed an impenetrable coating that kept
the later formation of a light-sensitive surface entirely
suspended above the paper—further augmenting light-
sensitivity and precision of detail.) Next, a weak paste
of glycerin was applied to a sheet of glass, and a sheet
of the prepared paper was placed upon it. Iodized col-
lodion was spread over the sheet of paper adhering to the
glass, and the paper was removed and plunged, face-up,
into a silver nitrate bath. The sensitive surface having
been formed, the paper was briefl y rinsed in water and
replaced upon the glycerin-coated sheet of glass. Fol-
lowing exposure, development, and fi xing—which were
identical to the wet-collodion process—the paper was
removed from the sheet of glass and washed, dried, and
waxed like a typical paper negative. Geoffray claimed
that photographs made using this process were indis-
tinguishable from those made on glass.
In 1857, Geoffray complained of being too busy prac-
ticing law. From 1857–1873, he does not seem to have
been very active as a photographer, remaining in Roanne
and rarely travelling to Paris. In 1859, he married Marie
Virotte, and that same year they had a son, Jacques Félix
Geoffray. In 1864, he was listed as a banker in Roanne,
in addition to being listed as a lawyer. In 1867, he ex-
hibited prints in the Exposition universelle.
In 1874–1875, Geoffray returned to photography,
making illustrations and writing articles for a short-lived
archaeological journal entitled Le Forez illustré. This
was the realization of a persistent goal in Geoffray’s
photography: documenting historical architecture in the
environs of Roanne. Each cover featured a photograph
made by Geoffray. The fi rst issues consisted of albumen
prints pasted on the covers, but by 1875, he had switched
to making photographic prints on a press.
In the summer of 1875, Geoffray returned to Paris
and established a photo-lithographic press at 40, rue
d’Enfer. Apparently, he renounced the practice of law
and banking, in order to devote himself to photography.
In 1876, he and his family moved to 92, boulevard de
Port Royal, where they lived until 1881.
From 1879–1881 Geoffray wrote and published a
book on archaeological remains in the region of Roanne,
Iconographie des départements. Loire (Ancien Forez),
illustrated by his photographs. His son made the prints
on a typographic printing press. Therein, Geoffray ex-
pressed his photographic aesthetic: photography was a
tool to document old artifacts in situ, before they were
vandalized or removed from their original contexts
In the 1880s, Geoffray resumed writing technical
articles and manuals. These addressed photomechanical
reproduction, gelatin-bromide emulsions, and stripping
negative emulsions from original supports. As late as
1880, he still voiced a preference for paper, writing,
“Paper is for me, the support of predilection.”
After 1895, there is no record of Geoffray. The last
record bearing his name pertains to the death of his son
on 14 November 1895.
Alan GreeneBiography
Stéphane Geoffray was born on 17 April 1827 in
Roanne, France. A lawyer and banker, he took up pho-
tography in the early 1850s. In 1854, he published a
variant procedure of Le Gray’s waxed-paper negative
process, inaccurately called the cerolein process. In
1855, he published a book on the manufacture of paper
for photographic purposes; and in 1856, two negative
procedures aimed at making paper a viable alternative
to glass. From 1857–1873, Geoffray appears to have left
photography for other pursuits; but in 1874, he returned
to photography in order to start an archaeological journal