Card Tricks and Curiosities is a series of photographic oddities printed primarily on fogged black and white paper that expired in the mid-twentieth century. These antique papers are transformed through the chemigram process, lumen printing, selective bleaching, and alternative toning to create realistic simulations of magicians’ props. The images are designed to be whimsical and clever, colorful and strange. The most remarkable feat, however, involves using darkroom “tricks” to pull imagery out of vintage paper that was destined for the trash bin.

An obscure nineteenth century photographic process, anthotypes are created by coating watercolor paper with the natural pigments of puréed berries and flowers. The prints are exposed to full sunlight for up to several months, the sun fading areas of the image that are exposed to light. Because there is no way to “fix” the original prints, the images are doomed to fade with time. The imagery conjures up a carnival atmosphere, recalling curiosities, circus acts, penny arcades and sideshows of the early twentieth century. When exhibited, black velvet curtains surround the original prints to protect them from the light that will eventually lead to their demise.