Making Contemporary GoldTones™ - Cardozo Fine Art

Our Goldtones™ are printed on optical glass, coated with a rich, unique, and custom formulated emulsion. The optical glass plates are processed by hand and then toned twice for superb archival permanence and a warm sepia tonality. Each Goldtone™ is then backed with multiple microfine layers of brilliant golden metallic particles and finally treated with an inert archival sealant. Goldtones™ have a luminosity and three-dimensionality that is unequaled by any other photographic medium. The goldtone, or “Orotone”, process was pioneered by Edward S. Curtis over 100 years ago and was his preferred way of producing his photographic images. The complexity and expense of producing goldtones meant that Curtis printed only about 1 in 1,000 of his negatives as goldtones. Each of our contemporary, limited edition Goldtones™ and frames are the result of over sixty separate, distinct steps. The “Classic” frame, which is a beautifully handcrafted recreation of Curtis’ vintage frames, is custom-made of wood and various traditional materials.