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Recent Past
by Eric Mertens
TK I think maybe the mid-nineteenth century wasnıt such a bad time after all. All those Civil War-era photos of grizzled, mustachioed men on horseback, of grim-looking midwives clutching babies who look like theyıre already lamenting the historical moment into which theyıve been born maybe the ever-present sense of grief in those photos was simply created in the processing kiosk.
Thatıs what Eric Mertenıs luscious, ghostly photos seem to indicate. He uses a process called Ambrotype, which was patented in 1854. ³If a very thin under-exposed negative is placed in front of a dark background, the image appears like a positive,² explains Merten. ³The silver reflects some light while the areas with no silver at all will show through to the black backing material.² Which is why if you watch Eric at work (which you can on his website), youıre shocked to find that the women in this dark, hauntingly sexy series are in fact posing in a lovely, sun-dappled loft. The final product appears amazingly authentic to the period of its creation; had women worn platform shoes and smoking jackets during the Civil War, you wouldnıt be able to tell the difference. Will Doig
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